So last week I got this wild idea to jazz up Heritage Middle School’s football season opener ’cause let’s be real – seventh graders gotta have fun or they’ll just stare at their phones the whole game. Started scribbling notes right in my car after picking up my kid. Needed a game plan that wouldn’t bust the PTA budget.
Getting My Supplies Sorted
First thing Monday morning, I hauled butt to the dollar store with two wobbly shopping carts. Grabbed:
- — Fifty foam fingers (gotta make noise somehow)
- — Three packs of poster boards brighter than traffic cones
- — Cheap face paint tubes that’ll probably stain everything
- — Industrial-size glitter because why not make a mess?
Left that place twenty bucks poorer but feeling like Santa Claus. Stuff filled my whole trunk – was scraping glitter off the seats for days after.
Student Army Recruitment Drive
Cornered the art teacher during lunch period. Played the “school spirit” card hard and boom – she let me borrow six kids who could actually draw something besides stick figures. We commandeered the library after school. Had ’em painting posters while I prepped “spirit bags” – dumped candy, stickers and those foam fingers into ziplocs.
Game Day Shenanigans
Friday morning, showed up stupid early dragging coolers full of juice boxes. My trunk looked like party supply store puked in it. Student crew helped me:
- — Stapled posters onto every fence post near the bleachers
- — Pushed the glitter-covered spirit bags onto teachers for homeroom
- — Set up a face painting disaster zone by the ticket booth
By kickoff? Total chaos – but the fun kind. Saw seventh graders actually screaming till they were red-faced. One kid even hugged me with blue tiger-striped cheeks. Felt like we won the dang Super Bowl.
Course there’s always some nonsense though. Principal got salty ’bout glitter near his precious grass field. Whatever – told him next time we’ll use biodegradable glitter. Still waiting on that budget approval though… wonder if he’s gonna ghost me like my last PTA reimbursement request. Typical.