The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Ruth Betts School students normally get into the athletic spirit when they enter their gymnasium, but yesterday it was the spirit of giving. Their mini gymnasium was transformed into a one-stop Christmas shopping destination with dozens of new and second-hand items donated by parents and students. All students were invited to the gym yesterday to purchase items of their choosing for $4 or less, with proceeds going toward a playground enhancement project. "All the moms, grandmas and aunts and uncles and everybody the children wanted to buy a gift for will have an extra special surprise on Christmas morning," said Denny Casely of the Ruth Betts parent council, which organized the event. The sale, dubbed Santa's Grotto, featured a hodgepodge of items, including plush toys, candles, VHS movies, CDs and books. "The support from the students and the parents was phenomenal," commented Casely. Proceeds will go toward the Go For Green Project at Ruth Betts, which aims to bring astroturf and sod to the playground. Casely expected to raise up to $200 from the event, which could become an annual occurrence. "If this has a really good success, we are thinking that for next year we could do something like this on a Saturday and have it open to the public," she said.
