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Potsdam, Massena school faculties to face off in Pine Street Arena Feb. 17

Posted 2/14/11

POTSDAM -- With funding for the mentoring program at Kingston Middle School in doubt, those responsible for the program of support for struggling students are stepping up their fundraising. Faculty …

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Potsdam, Massena school faculties to face off in Pine Street Arena Feb. 17

Posted

POTSDAM -- With funding for the mentoring program at Kingston Middle School in doubt, those responsible for the program of support for struggling students are stepping up their fundraising.

Faculty from Potsdam and Massena schools will meet on the ice at Potsdam’s Pine Street Arena Thursday, Feb. 17 starting at 7:15 p.m., for a hockey game and a couple of pies in the face.

The Potsdam Mentoring Program, as 5th-grade teacher Lynn Tharrett explains it, is for kids who are showing signs of trouble, so they can get “tutoring, help with homework, some activities, so kids can make a lasting connection with an adult for social and learning support, to give some direction to kids” who might lack it. College students and others come into school three times a week to help the kids.

“The kids in the program need it. There might be a family situation, trouble with academics, attendance. Teachers will make recommendations to the mentoring program about which students to bring in.”

With the strain on budgets reaching the point where cuts might really start to hurt, Tharrett was concerned that, with the funding for the activity/partner parent project portion of the program already cut last year, further cuts could be coming.

“We’ve done fundraising before, but this year is different,” Tharrett said. “We’re preparing for the worst and hoping for the best, but we don’t want to change the program.”

So she made a connection with faculty at Massena Central for a fundraising hockey game, and the event was set. Massena’s share of the proceeds will support their varsity hockey teams.

Tickets for the game and fun are $5 for adults and $3 for students. A 50/50 raffle is planned, and another special raffle will make for some drama and comedy at the same time.

People will be able to purchase tickets for a chance to throw a pie in the face of a favorite faculty or staff member, one pie for Massena and one for Potsdam.

Jerry Manor of Massena will be MC for the evening, Mel Tomalty of Potsdam will referee the game.