Back to School Bash set for Saturday

A Back to School Bash will provide supplies for local kindergarteners through fifth graders Saturday, Aug. 13 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the old middle school off Highway 19. The event is hosted by the Pike Community Resource Network and will feature vision screenings, educational services, food and more in addition to the distribution of school supplies. ’If a student is not equipped with the tools they need, they will not be as successful in the classroom,’ said PCRN director Michael Powell. ‘Our goal is to serve in partnership alongside families to support them, especially families in need.’The first 200 students will receive supplies and a book bag for the upcoming school year. Items still needed for local students include EXPO Dry Erase Markers, highlighters and composition notebooks. The items can be dropped off at the Pike County school at 7454 Highway 19 south. Call 770-567-2930 for more information. Saturday’s event will be the sixth annual Back to School Bash and will feature inflatables, the CHAMPS car, Grady EMS units and a fire truck. This year, the Back to School Bash will present administrators and teachers with the Pike County Pre-K program with new nap mats for their classrooms. Also, the supplies selected were different this year. ’At the end of last year, we talked to teachers at the primary and elementary schools and asked what the most critical items needed are and that’s how we decided which supplies to distribute,’ said Powell. ‘We’ve had support from the business sector, faith sector, civic and community organizations as well as individuals who have donated. The school has always been so cooperative by allowing us to have the Back to School Bash on school grounds, which I think is a tremendous asset.’