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PITTSBURG —
You’re never too young to paint the town red.
Pittsburg elementary schools took part in the annual festivities, held the week before the first Pittsburg State University Gorillas home football game of the season.
Serving as judges Wednesday were Harvey Dean of Pitsco and Betty Harrison and Susan Ayers of the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. They toured schools to evaluate artwork and decorations.
“It’s a wonderful experience to see the kids and their work,” Dean said. “I’m going to give them all an A.”
Harrison said she also enjoyed touring the schools and seeing the decorations created by students and teachers.
“If you don’t have children or grandchildren, you usually don’t have much opportunity to get into the schools,” she said.
At Westside School, posters lined the halls and paper monkeys hung from the ceiling in one hallway.
“We made posters to hang inside our classroom to keep the spirit up and bigger posters for outside in the hall,” said Paul Hanney, Westside third grade teacher.
He added that the poster making did not take away from academic studies.
“We worked it in with social studies about how communities work together,” Hanney said. “The kids love drawing, and when they draw I can get them to write."
Youngsters and teachers were also encouraged to wear PSU apparel or at least something in red and yellow, if they had it.
Jazlynn Summit, Westside kindergarten student, wore a red shirt and a yellow band in her hair. She also enjoying making a drawing.
“I actually did something in art,” she said. “We drew like a little portrait of town and the discovery of people wearing red and yellow.”
Staff at St. Mary’s Colgan Elementary School thought they had until Thursday to do their Paint the Town Red decorating.
“Mrs. Terri Tener had the brain storm,” said Nancy Hicks, principal.
Tener, fifth grade teacher, said that each class made a Pittsburg building.
“Then my kids decided they would make buildings,” she said.
Over the buildings is a drawing of a giant hand holding a paint brush with red drops coming from it. Under this are the words “The Big Guy says paint the town red.”
“We wanted to be sure that was all right, so I asked Fr. Chad Arnold if we could say ‘Big Guy’,” Tener said. “He said yes, we can.”
Hicks said that all the students, from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade, took part in making the town posters lining the halls.
You’re never too young to paint the town red.
Pittsburg elementary schools took part in the annual festivities, held the week before the first Pittsburg State University Gorillas home football game of the season.
Serving as judges Wednesday were Harvey Dean of Pitsco and Betty Harrison and Susan Ayers of the Pittsburg Area Chamber of Commerce. They toured schools to evaluate artwork and decorations.
“It’s a wonderful experience to see the kids and their work,” Dean said. “I’m going to give them all an A.”
Harrison said she also enjoyed touring the schools and seeing the decorations created by students and teachers.
“If you don’t have children or grandchildren, you usually don’t have much opportunity to get into the schools,” she said.
At Westside School, posters lined the halls and paper monkeys hung from the ceiling in one hallway.
“We made posters to hang inside our classroom to keep the spirit up and bigger posters for outside in the hall,” said Paul Hanney, Westside third grade teacher.
He added that the poster making did not take away from academic studies.
“We worked it in with social studies about how communities work together,” Hanney said. “The kids love drawing, and when they draw I can get them to write."
Youngsters and teachers were also encouraged to wear PSU apparel or at least something in red and yellow, if they had it.
Jazlynn Summit, Westside kindergarten student, wore a red shirt and a yellow band in her hair. She also enjoying making a drawing.
“I actually did something in art,” she said. “We drew like a little portrait of town and the discovery of people wearing red and yellow.”
Staff at St. Mary’s Colgan Elementary School thought they had until Thursday to do their Paint the Town Red decorating.
“Mrs. Terri Tener had the brain storm,” said Nancy Hicks, principal.
Tener, fifth grade teacher, said that each class made a Pittsburg building.
“Then my kids decided they would make buildings,” she said.
Over the buildings is a drawing of a giant hand holding a paint brush with red drops coming from it. Under this are the words “The Big Guy says paint the town red.”
“We wanted to be sure that was all right, so I asked Fr. Chad Arnold if we could say ‘Big Guy’,” Tener said. “He said yes, we can.”
Hicks said that all the students, from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade, took part in making the town posters lining the halls.
“The little ones colored cars to go on the streets,” the principal said.
Colin O’Brien, fifth grader, said that he drew Hutchinson Field, assisted by a friend, Scott Russell.
“My father has Kannarr Eye Care, so I did that,” said Payton Kannarr. “Nathan Shriver helped me.”
They both enjoyed working on the project.
“We got to work out in the hall and draw for two hours,” O’Brien said.
However, Kannarr said that they had to do their math work in the morning before they got to draw.
The winner of the school competition will be announced later.
“The winner will get a traveling Gus that we have each year,” Harrison said. “Every school will get an award on what they excelled in with the Gorilla theme.”
She noted that the Paint the Town Red contest could have a impact on the students’ future choices.
“It makes college seem not so scary and out-there,” Harrison said.
Hanney agrees with that, and added that the third graders are looking forward to going out to the PSU campus on Friday.
“The kids will get cardboard megaphones and cheer with the PSU cheerleaders,” he said. “It helps us to make the connection between school and college and the community.”
