The I-35 Gifted and Talented students have taken the opportunity to volunteer their time to support Family Game Nights over the course of this school year. Our goal was to create a safe space for families to get acquainted with each other while making learning fun for everyone! We quickly decided at the start of the school year that we wanted to change our theme annually for family nights to provide families with different experiences. This past year we chose game shows to be our theme, with our focus around three game shows: “Let’s Make a Deal”, “Minute to Win it!”, and “The Amazing Race”. Themes were selected based on the time it would take to prepare for the event, along with games that were engaging for all ages due to our increasing attendance. Each game night required families to sign up online to register, encouraged families to participate in the game, and winning participates were awarded a certificate along with a prize. The prizes were selected by GT students in the fall that had shown exceptional growth in leadership. Students were given a half day to visit Walmart and select prizes for students of all ages as they attended our events throughout the year. This was a great learning opportunity for them as they not only had to manage a budget, but also strategically purchase prizes for various students.
When we started two years ago with Family STEM Nights, we didn’t know what to expect when it came to attendance. Our first Family STEM Night hosted about 35 parents and students. We are grateful that our attendance has only continued to grow from that point. To date we set a new record for the most attended Family Night with “Minute to Win it!” bringing in 109 parents and students! Our success is largely credited to our volunteers and sponsors. Support from American State Bank of Winterset, Farmers and Merchants Bank of St. Charles, Union State Bank of Winterset, and a generous donation from I-35’s Education Foundation allowed us to bring our community together throughout the year.
The following students have volunteered their time to support Family Nights over the last two years: Junior: Lauren Capps; Sophomore: Michael McClelland; Freshmen: Reagan Anderson, Kenzy Howard, Reagan Trost, Ross Baughman, Anthony Cicero, Grace Upp, Olivia Blair, Jacob Capps; 8th Graders: Macy Flaherty, Nora Nelson, Lucy Vonnahame, Kale Murphy, and Lynleigh Fales.