PC students celebrate unique accomplishments
PHOTOS BY LAUREN WESTER PCES student Blake McCullogh received the opportunity to attend Camp Courage this year and is still excited about everything he got to experience. Fourth-grader Luke Gerrard (pictured with teacher Tracey Cook) took initiative and donated $100 to Phil Campbell Elementary School to go toward a new Chromebook. The winner of the Franklin County Watermelon Festival’s largest watermelon competition (181 pounds), Reid Jackson, discussed his watermelon-growing secrets.
Luke did something Ergle said she has never had happen before: he walked up to her out of the blue one day and handed her a $100 bill to donate to the school.
“Something like this just doesn’t happen every day. I think it shows real leadership and character,” Ergle said.
Luke ultimately decided he wants the money to go toward a new Chromebook for the school –which Ergle said is what she assumed he would choose when she asked him.
“I want everyone to have one,” Luke said.
And while one more Chromebook won’t reach that goal, it is certainly a step in the right direction.
“With children like Luke and donations from other people as well, we’ll reach our goal of having at least one cart of Chromebooks per grade,” Ergle said.
Blake was chosen this year to attend Camp Courage in Tuscumbia because of his hearing impairment, Ergle said. The goal of Camp Courage is to inspire visually- or hearing-impaired children learn to use their abilities to change the world.
At the three-day camp, Blake said he got to visit Helen Keller’s birthplace, go fishing, visit Cypress Cove Farm and attend an end-of-camp celebration. Aside from learning to read and write braille, Blake said one of his favorite parts of the camp was getting to meet new friends, some all the way from West Virginia.
“I learned not to judge other people because everyone is different, and that’s OK,” Blake said.
At the Watermelon Festival, Reid displayed his talent for growing watermelons. He won the award for largest watermelon with his 181-pound melon that he said took four men to carry.
“We watered it and fed it a lot,” Jackson explained.
A real point of pride for Reid is that he beat his big brother in the competition and that Piggly Wiggly displayed his winning watermelon.
