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100 and counting
Students celebrate milestone
3 100th day pic1
Riverview Elementary kindergarten and first-grade students paraded down the main hallway Monday morning to celebrate the 100th day of school. The older students lined the halls to watch. - photo by Chelsea Thomas Dawson Community News

Riverview Elementary kindergarten and first-grade students celebrated the 100th day of the school year by dressing up as if they were 100 years old.

Kindergarten and first-grade classes lined-up in the main hallway at 9 a.m. Monday and paraded outdoors as students in the higher grades gathered in the hallway to watch.

Despite the cold rain and wind, the students laughed and wiggled as they held balloons under the building's awning.

Many boys wore fake beards, while girls wore aprons and cotton robes with slippers and hair curlers.

Leading the way for the parade was kindergarten teacher Lisa McAnally in a wheelchair wearing "grandma clothes" and fake teeth.

With attire inspired by her grandmother's "old housecoats, bonnets and hair," McAnally believes the celebration was a great way to recognize the student's age group and their new ability to count to three-digit numbers.

"If anything will help them remember and get their attention to count to 100, then it's great," McAnally said. "This is just a fun way we do that.

"School is not fun all the time and this is making it interesting."

According to officials, the school recognizes the importance of focused, classroom-based learning, but also enjoys rewarding and fun schoolwide activities.

"By the 100th day in school, we expect kids in kindergarten to count to 30 and by first grade for them to count consecutively to 100, which is a big deal," said Riverview Elementary School's Assistant Principal Page Arnette.

"So if we can celebrate and make learning exciting at that age they are like little sponges so they soak it up."

Principal Julia Mashburn agreed and intends to make the celebration an annual event.

"We actually did this last year and it made such an impression. We want to make it a tradition," Mashburn said.

After the parade and balloon release, the kindergarteners and first-graders brought in 100 of an item to count. Some brought cheerios, pennies and Legos.

Throughout the rest of the school day, the older classrooms also celebrated with assignments that included or were associated with the number 100.

All fifth-graders were prompted to begin each segment of their day with 100 jumping jacks in recognition of their participation in the Let's Jump Guinness World Record event last October.

"[One hundred days] is a milestone for them," Arnette said. "School is so exciting and we want it to be exciting for them. Anytime we can connect our content and celebration is really great."