Clash of the titans a result of contributions from the children
By Dave Mast
April 26, 2011
288
Two giants of West Holmes wrestling lore squared off on Monday, April 25, and it was all in the name of sharing, caring and fun.
The giants of wrestling were actually Millersburg Elementary principal Tim Wigton and physical education instructor Darrel Haven, who donned sumo wrestling costumes and went mano a mano, or at least large stomach to large stomach, in front of the entire school body of screaming, frenzied students who cheered on their favorite sumo grapplers.
The sumo challenge may have been all in fun, but the essence of how it came about is something that the Millersburg staff hopes will make an indelible impression on the students and help them understand the importance of giving where there is a need.
The wrestling challenge came about because the students had met their goal in raising money to give to families in Japan who are trying to survive following the March 11 earthquake and resulting tsunami that ravaged the country, leaving millions of families homeless.
You kids have done a great job of raising $1,043 to aid needy families in Japan, said Wigton, following his brutal bout with Havens, with whom he squared off on the auditorium stage, donning giant sumo wrestling costumes.
I enjoy dressing up to go to work, but not necessarily like this.
Wigton and Havens agreed to go sumo-style should the students reach the $1,000 plateau in their fundraiser for tsunami and earthquake relief in Japan. The kids kicked their giving into overdrive once they heard that bit of news, and eclipsed the mark on the final day.
The fundraising idea was the handiwork of teacher Barb Knapp, who wanted to help the children at Millersburg understand the plight being faced by children in Japan following the devastation which occurred from the earthquakes and tsunami.
Knapp sent out a letter to every student on April 13, asking them to give any spare change they may have to a fund for families in Japan.
We were all deeply saddened by what took place in Japan, said Knapp of the schools students and staff. So we decided to collect our change to send overseas to help the students of Japan.
Knapp said that school is one of the steadying parts of life, which brings a sense of structure and normalcy to anyones day. She also said that school always promotes a sense of family. Therefore, she said, the staff really tried to drive home the point that there were children just like the students at Millersburg who were hurting, and needed their help.
We really stressed that our school family could reach out and help their school families in Japan, said Knapp. We wanted them to know that other people, and other children, cared about them.
So the kids went to work, gathering up loose change and making a point to see Wigton and Havens performing one of Japans most respected sports and traditions.
In addition, Knapp said that they also used the fundraiser as an opportunity to work in educational learning too. She said that it was great for math in that classes had to count change, and they used it for a starting point to learn more about the cultures, traditions and geography of Japan as well.
It really did serve as a good opportunity to work some school subjects into a great lesson about life and giving and caring about others, said Knapp. But the real important idea was for them to give because it would mean so much to others.
