PV principal is all taped up
Panther Valley Junior-Senior High School Principal Joseph Gunnels was taped to a wall Tuesday to raise money for his school’s PTO. CHRIS REBER/TIMES NEWS
Many principals would do anything for their students.
Panther Valley Junior-Senior High School’s Joseph Gunnels showed that on Tuesday.
Gunnels agreed to let students tape him to a wall in order to help raise money for the school’s PTO. It was part of the annual Black Gold and White Day to celebrate the coming end of the school year.
Gunnels said he jumped at the idea to help his students raise money for the PTO.
Dozens of students and teachers took him up on the opportunity paying $1 each for a strip of tape to duct tape Gunnels to a pillar in the school. They raised more than $100 through the fundraiser.
The idea came from PTO member Angela Krapf.
“She asked me about it. I said ‘I did that once a long time ago.’ So I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll do it,’ ” Gunnels said.
They decided to do it on Black Gold and White Day, an annual event set up by English teacher Kim Laird.
It could also be argued that Laird would also do anything for her students. She said when it gets to May, both teachers and students are a little stressed. Black Gold and White Day lets them blow off steam together.
Rain forced the event inside but kids still had fun with bubble soccer and life-size versions of the classic games Hungry Hungry Hippos and Whack-A-Mole.
“It’s just kind of nice to have some downtime with our students in a different atmosphere than just in the classroom,” she said. “This gives us an opportunity to work with the kids in a fun environment.”
Laird has been doing the event for 18 years starting with grades 7-8. For many years, she provided all the funding herself.
A few years ago, the PTO got involved. Around the same time, grades 7-8 were moved to the high school. They decided to expand Black Gold and White Day to all levels.
Laird still supports many aspects of the event herself. She also gets help from her junior high yearbook students.
She said she couldn’t do it without good partners like Wonderfly, who provided bubble soccer, another company which provided the inflatable games, and of course the PTO.
“It’s just kind of nice to have some downtime with our students in a different atmosphere than just in the classroom, watching a movie, normal downtime things,” she said.
