ALTON - North Elementary’s Light the Night campaign (formerly known as Pennies for Patients) was very successful once again.

The campaign was held for three weeks in March (from March 7-24) and is coordinated by Kimberlie Scheurer, a second-grade teacher at North Elementary. All proceeds are given to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society – STL chapter.

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"Every classroom teacher was provided with a classroom link for online donations," Scheurer said. "Many families shared this link with family and friends."

Students are able to participate in activities each week in support of the campaign.

This was the process over the three weeks of the fundraiser:

Week 1 – Dress up days with online donations only.

“Put a Cap on Cancer” – wear hats.

“Band Together Against Cancer” – wear your favorite band/musical group t-shirt.

“Dreamin’ for the Cure” – pajama day.

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Week 2 – “Smencil” Sale (smelly pencils) Student Council sold Smencils for $1 each. These are "always a huge hit!"

Week 3 – “Stuck for a Buck” – Pay $1 for a piece of duct tape to tape a North faculty member to the wall! Johnson (our school principal) Monday, Ms. Powers (assistant principal) Tuesday, Mrs. Chapman (second-grade teacher) Wednesday, Mr. Dominique (activity monitor) Thursday, and Ms. Adney on Friday (P.E. student teacher).

Home Depot in Alton provided the duct tape.

Jeans week for teachers: Teachers each donate $10 to wear jeans for the week.

The winning classroom received a pizza party courtesy of Papa John’s in Alton, while the second-place classroom received popcorn.

"All of these events are a huge hit with students and faculty at North Elementary," Scheurer said. "Everyone was excited about dress-up days, and the Smencils sell out quickly! We love hearing the gym go crazy as faculty members try to break themselves free of the duct tape in the morning. Putting these events together provides fun, engaging activities for students and staff.

"Most importantly, it brings us all together and shows students how important it is to give back to the community. Here at North Elementary, we pride ourselves on creating a sense of support and unity. Every year, we raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and we are very proud to support them. Our school goal was $2,000 and we reached $2,700 in weeks one and two."

The total amount raised was $3,659.73.

These were the winners in the fundraising:

1st place - Mrs. Scheurer's class with a total of $544
2nd place - Mrs. Harrington's class with a total of $449
3rd place - Mr. Chapman's class with a total of $432.50
4th place - Ms. Well's class with a total of $281.80
The following students have raised over $100 for the campaign: Lilia Springman, Amelia Inlow, Brody Scheurer, Sophia Princivalli, and Brant Seets.