SUU Student gets Elementary School Moving

Published: September 18, 2013 | Read Time: 2 minutes

In an effort to raise funds and donations for students at Three Peaks Elementary in Cedar City, a Southern Utah University hospitality and resort management major is seeking community assistance in coordinating an event well beyond the traditional bounds of most student event projects.

Kristina Maine, a SUU senior with children attending Three Peaks Elementary, has coordinated efforts with the elementary school administrators and faculty, along with area businesses and SUU classes for volunteers as well as donations to coordinate the first ever Three Peaks Elementary “Let’s Get Moving” Move-a-Thon happening Thursday, September 26.

The Move-a-Thon will consist of students, ages 5-11, who have pounded the pavement in area neighborhoods to collect pledges for them to participate in the event that will have them hula-hooping, jumping, running, skipping, dancing and any other activity for an entire hour in an effort to raise funds for their school.

Maine is seeking donations from the community to give elementary students more pledges and to further assistance to a school that sees very little.

She said of her intent of this event, “Having these funds will provide resources for teachers to ensure that all students from the beginning to the end of the year will have everything they need to receive a quality education.”

She added, “The teachers at this school have a genuine interest in the students. Many spend money out of their own pocket to purchase necessary classroom items; however, some live on such a low income that their resources are very limited.”

Three Peaks Elementary is a Title I school, meaning that significant portions of families with children at the school are below the poverty line and the school lacks the basic necessities. All proceeds gained from this Move-a-Thon will go toward the school purchasing new PE equipment, soccer nets and augment other day-to-day operations at the elementary school.

But Maine has an alternative motive with planning this event, a more collegiate motive. As part of SUU’s new curriculum, Maine is finalizing her Education Designed to Give Experience (EDGE) project through this Move-a-Thon. 

Through the EDGE program, each student must design, propose and complete a hands-on project in the hopes of giving SUU graduates an advantage as they apply their education beyond the walls of the classroom. Maine recognized early on that the planning this Move-a-Thon could be applied to both requirements and further the experience she gained for both. 

“Being a non-traditional student I haven’t been able to involve myself in the community like a typical student would, this project has forced that and I love it,” said Maine. “I have learned that no matter how old a student might be, there are always experiences to gain.”

To donate to this cause and to give a better education for students who have very little, contact Kristina Maine at kmainepb@gmail.com or 435-383-3808. 

---

Contact Information:

435-586-5400
Contact the Office of Marketing Communication