A pie for the teacher
Kevin O’Neill pies S.S. Palmer teacher Butch Acierno at school on Friday afternoon. Students who raised the most funds for the PTO drive got to pie a teacher or PTO member for their hard work. Scan this photo with the Prindeo app to see a photo gallery of the event. BRIAN W. MYSZKOWSKI/TIMES NEWS
S.S. Palmer kids got into the desserts a little early this year, pieing their teachers and PTO members as a reward for their extraordinary fundraising efforts.
“Today we’re going to be having our pie-throwing assembly,” Bomber Fun Run chairperson Tiffany Lakatosh said. “This is the kids’ reward for raising over $10,000 for the S.S. Palmer Parkside PTO with the Bomber Fun Run. We have eight teachers that are getting pied, and four PTO officers.”
The money will help the PTO fund assemblies, student activities, gifts and more.
Physical education teacher Ryan Heller emceed the event, which had the kids at an absolute fever-pitch.
“We are here on this fine Friday afternoon to celebrate you,” Heller told the students to a wild round of applause. “You guys might remember the Bomber Fun Run? That event did not happen by itself. Our wonderful PTO put all of that together for you. We need to thank somebody else besides the PTO, and those people are you. As a school, kindergarten through sixth grade, you guys raised an amazing $10,096.”
Cheers rang out as each teacher or PTO member took a chair and randomly picked a top-earning student’s name to pie them.
Anyone attempting to cover up with headgear was subject to synchronized shouts of “lose the hat!” Piles of pies flew through the air, thoroughly coating teachers and PTO members with whipped cream, and on at least one occasion, a little chocolate syrup.
“I really liked it, and I like being able to raise money to do stuff for the school,” student Kevin O’Neill said.
O’Neill, a top-earner himself, got an opportunity to pie teacher Butch Acierno. While he admits it was a fun time, he’s not looking forward to the potential backlash.
“I’m just scared about what he’s going to do next year, because I might be in his class,” O’Neill said. “I want to pie my mom next time.”
Nevertheless, the teachers and PTO members in attendance appeared to have a great time, and the school can pride itself on funding a wealth of activities for the year.
“The kids did such a great job,” Lakatosh said. “I was totally shocked by how much they raised. We actually raised more than we have than any other year before. I’m really, really proud of all the kids and the effort that they put in.”
