Freaky Friday - Promethean Technology in Education, Classroom ...

WYFF – NBC NEWSA Lot Riding On 'Freaky Friday'Annual School Fundraiser Becomes Classroom GoldSean Muserallo, WYFF News 4 Digital ReporterOctober 2, 2009GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. -- Budget cuts are the normthese days, so it's no wonder schools are relying more andmore on fundraisers.Those fundraisers are being planned more strategically, too,as organizers try to get cash-strapped families to support theircause."Freaky Friday" is one of two big fundraisers held by the SaraCollins Elementary School's PTA.Principal Alice Arrington said, "As the money dwindles at thestate level we have to keep our kids educated. That's the mostimportant thing to us."Arrington said technology is commonly cut from spendingwhen the budget gets tight. She relies on the income from thePTA fundraisers to pick up the slack."We rely on it more and more knowing that in hard timeswe're not going to have as much as the year before," Arringtonsaid.

The PTA's two fundraisers brings in more than $100,000 ayear.Last year's Freaky Friday fell on the day that the bankscrashed. Organizers were worried. They noticed familyspending habits changed. So they made some changes thisyear, especially with their silent auction.PTA president Catherine Daniels said, "The ladies that arerunning that this year look for items that are necessity items.Things that they're going to spend money on anyway, notextravagant things."They've also focused on making the carnival as familycenteredas possible.Last year's Freaky Friday event raised $64,000 despite thebad economic news that day."That's what we're trying to manage this year... how peoplespend their money and where they give," Daniels said. "Sosome things are down, some things are up. Last year, it wasmore coming as a family, buying tickets and participating."The money paid for technology in the classroom. Everythingfrom computer software programs to mobile laptop labs waspurchased.

They were even able to achieve their goal to put a Prometheanboard -- an interactive whiteboard that both students andteachers seem to love -- in every classroom . They didn't comecheap at $6,000 a piece.It took three years to put one in every classroom. It was achallenge they overcame in an unforgiving economy, whichgives them hope that this year's fundraiser will be just assuccessful.Freaky Friday is this Friday, Oct. 2, at the GreenvilleTech.campus. The event runs from 3:30 p.m. To 7:30 p.m.Admission is free, but you have to purchase tickets to buyfood, games and prizes. There are also several raffles takingplace and a silent auction.Copyright 2009 by WYFF4.com. All rights reserved.