If you weren’t already a Taylor Swift fan, you would be after attending the Taylor Swift Trivia For Terry event at Alouette Elementary on April 30, with the school’s enthusiastic staff.
The educators there are equally big fans of Terry Fox, and the trivia night that drew almost 100 people to the school gym was a fundraiser for the Terry Fox Foundation that fights cancer.
The kids, parents, and staff – many dressed like rock stars or in concert T-shirts – answered trivia like: “Who opened for Taylor for her three Vancouver Shows?” and “What item do fans like to trade at her shows?”
The answer to the last question is of course friendship bracelets, and the organizers had beads and materials for kids to make their own at the event.
There was popcorn, candy and other items for sale, and the event raised almost $1,200 for the Fox Foundation, contributing to the school’s overall $3,000 campaign to contribute to fighting cancer.
One of the organizers was teacher Deanna Dyer, who also runs the Terry Fox Run for the city. She and the rest of the team of organizers wanted to use Taylor trivia as their annual cancer fundraiser.
“All of us on staff have been impacted by it (cancer) in some way, through a friend, a family member, a colleague – it’s a cause that’s near and dear to us,” said Dyer.
“We thought this would be a nice community event, and fun for the kids and their families,” she said. “It’s a fun way to bring our school community together and raise money at the same time.”
They also did a Principal for a Day fundraiser. They took donations, and a $10 minimum gift got students into a draw for that coronation.
Grade 5 student, Jake, won the draw for principal of the day, and it sounds like he made the most of it.
“He got to be our special guest at the office, and make some of the big decisions,” noted principal Jennifer Gallop.
“He wanted to extend recess,” she said, and she made that happen for his classes.
“He wanted a treat for his class, so we got Timbits for his class, and he asked for pizza for lunch, so I bought him pizza for lunch.”
Being a principal isn’t all about tasty snacks, so Jake also did some work too – helping in kindergarten classes, in the library, and he distributed some lunches, Gallop noted.
Every year the Alouette staff does a Fox Foundation fundraiser.
“They always are very passionate about the cause,” said Gallop. “This whole group is amazing. They worked really hard to make this day happen.”