Osborne Elementary families soon will be dancing the night away as part of an educational and entertaining fundraising evening.
The eighth annual Polar Ball is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. Feb. 20.
It’s open to all grade levels. Activities include arts and crafts, basket raffles, music and more. A giant snow globe is new and expected to be great for family photos.
Organized by second grade teachers Lauren Mounts, Kristi DiRenzo and Amy Quinn, the event helps students celebrate community service.
Proceeds benefit Osborne’s Room Full of Heart program, which helps families in need during the holiday season.
Students learn about the importance of service-learning projects throughout the school year. There are lessons about needs and wants as well as what makes a community run.
Mounts said the Polar Ball goes a long way in reinforcing citizenship and empathy while connecting several curriculums.
“They are learning about communities in (kindergarten and first grade), and when they get to us we start talking more about what does your community need,” she said.
“Your community needs all kinds of things. We have police officers and we have a school. And our community also has needs like children in our school who need winter coats and their families can’t provide. We’re always reading about (how) kids can do things, too. That comes up in our social studies over and over again.”
Students also work on animal research projects and visit the Pittsburgh Zoo as part of their efforts, which included adopting a polar bear.
After the event, second graders use their math skills to count all the profits made during the Polar Ball. That includes sales from tickets and raffle baskets. Last year’s effort raised about $4,000.
The Polar Ball started in 2018 with second grade students raising a little more than $1,500 for Quaker Valley families.
The idea came from a contest at the Pittsburgh Zoo in partnership with Polar Bears International.
Osborne took first place and used the prize money to develop water bottle filling stations in the cafeteria.
DiRenzo said it has changed a lot over the years and has become a staple for Osborne families.
“Everybody looks forward to it every year,” DiRenzo said Feb. 3.
People also will be selling bracelets to help a first grader battling cancer. District officials said the family did not want to be identified.
Funds raised from previous Polar Balls also went to other charities like the Union Aid Society, which serves as a safety net for Quaker Valley families and provides financial aid, scholarships and senior housing.
Those who want to support the cause and are unable to attend can write checks out to the Osborne HSA and put Polar Ball in the memo line. Mail them to the school at 1414 Beaver St., Sewickley, PA 15143.
