Miller School raises money for a track

The Miller Elementary School Parent Teacher Council is holding a fundraiser barbecue on May 17 to help pay for the construction of a running track on the school’s playground. The track will be named the Elaine Barnard Memorial Track after a fourth-grade teacher at the school who died in March.

Miller Assistant Principal Raine Mollenbeck said the school also held a tree planting ceremony in Barnard’s honor.

The Parent-Teacher Council (PTC) has already raised close to $25,000 of the approximately $50,000 needed to install the track. Mollenbeck said the biggest contributors to that amount were a jog-a-thon, the school carnival, and a catalog sale. The barbecue will be the last big fundraiser of the year to benefit the track.

“The PTC’s money is utilized in many different ways,” Mollenbeck said. “It allows us to provide for shortcomings in the budget.”

For instance, the PTC is also raising money to help sixth-grade students go to science camp.

Miller School isn’t the only elementary school without a track; Mollenbeck said it’s not an uncommon occurrence for elementary schools in the Santa Maria-Bonita School District. She added that the track will be something everyone in the community would have access to, and it’ll enable the school to hold its own track meets, as well as provide something for students to use for many years to come.

The fundraising barbecue will take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the school. Steak sandwiches, chips, and drinks will be sold for $8. The May 17 event will also include a book fair and children’s games. The school is located at 410 E. Camino Colegio in Santa Maria. To make a donation or purchase pre-sale barbecue tickets, call 361-7566.

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