Having a big time… Hundreds show up for Elizabethton Back to School Bash
Published 6:00 am Tuesday, August 6, 2019
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A young student receives a haircut during Saturday's Back to School Bash at Elizabethton High School.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The Carter County 4-H booth was just one of many booths that were providing information for returning students and parents on Saturday,
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Parents take advantage of free hot dogs, chips, and drinks during the Back to School Bash.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Keep Carter County Beautiful was on hand giving out bags and reminding students the importance of keeping our county clean and beautiful.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Hydration was important as the morning started out hot and humid.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders As always the inflatables turned out to be a popular spot during the bash.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Students received various giveaways from the different booths that had set up to help kick off the school year.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Northeast Community Credit Union handed out pencils and water bottles on Saturday for the Back to School Bash.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The Blue Post provided information to a large number of parents and students Saturday.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A young lady gets her hair trimmed during the Elizabethton Back to School Bash.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The hair cut booth sponsored by the Jenny Lea Academy was a booming spot on Saturday as many students received free haircuts before heading back to class.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Elizabethton City Schools was on hand to provide information to parents.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Milligan College was on hand with their Buff mascot to greet students and adults alike.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Members of East River Park Christian Church were out in full force Saturday handing out the backpacks along with free hot dogs and refreshments,
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders An Elizabethton police officer leads a student through the bicycle obstacle course.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A student participates in the Elizabethton Police Department's obstacle course on Saturday,
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A young man has little trouble clearing an obstacle set up by the Elizabethton Police Department.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A young lady shows that size doesn't matter as she attacks the Elizabethton Police Department obstacle course during the Back to School Bash.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The Chick Fil A booth was one of the popular places to stop on Saturday as Molly Tipton was on hand handing out free prizes for participating in a game that was set up at the booth.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A student tosses a small soccer ball toward a hole in a game set up by Chick Fil A.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A young lady is having a blast sliding down one of the inflatables on Saturday,
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A beautiful smile is offered up by a young lady before sliding down an inflatable.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Cyclone senior cheerleader Carlee Sullins hands a young man a football as he enters the field through the Cyclone football helmet.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders The Elizabethton varsity cheerleaders welcomed students and their families as they entered the Back to School Bash through the Cyclone football helmet.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Students were able to pick up a pair of socks to go along with their backpacks.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A young student tries to decide what color of backpack to go with.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A young lady is happy after receiving her clear, pink backpack filled with school supplies.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders Parents and students flood through the gates as they prepare to select a new backpack for the school year.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A large number of students showed up Saturday to take advantage of another successful Elizabetthon Back to School Bash.
Star Photo/Ivan Sanders A large line of students and parents showed up early in preparation for the Elizabethton Back to School Bash on Saturday.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR STAFF
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
When the school bell rings on Thursday to start a new school year for the Elizabethton City Schools, the first thing that everyone will notice is a sea of colorfully trimmed, clear backpacks that students will be carrying to their classes. Thanks to a large group of sponsors and supporters, this was made possible on Saturday as the Elizabethton School System held its fourth annual Back to School Bash at Citizens Bank Stadium.
The lines were forming early at the school as some parents and students arrived as early as 7 a.m. for the 9 a.m. gate opening where students could choose between pink, green, blue, purple or black trimmed backpacks as well as receive a free pair of socks at their first stop.
After picking up their backpacks and socks, the group was welcomed onto the field as they passed through the Cyclone football helmet and were greeted by the Elizabethton varsity cheerleaders. With an array of activities available to participate in from inflatables to the popular Elizabethton Police Department obstacle course and bicycle course, students took full advantage of enjoying themselves.
Over 25 booths were set up throughout the stadium offering information to help students and their families throughout the school year with giveaways plentiful for everyone on hand. A couple of the most attended booths were the free hot dog tent handled by an army of volunteers from East River Park Christian Church who handed out hot dogs, chips, and drinks to fill the hungry crowd. The church also helped distribute the backpacks and socks. Also, the haircut booth provided by Jenny Lea Academy had a long line of parents ready to get a fresh back-to-school haircut for their children. Local colleges, including King, Milligan, and ETSU were also on hand to answer any questions that the high school students may have had regarding post-secondary education.
What makes the event so special according to Elizabethton School Director Dr. Corey Gardenhour is the community coming together to help the kids get the year off on the right foot. “It’s awesome because it’s such a community event,” Dr. Gardenhour said. “Anytime you start your year focusing on the students having an even playing field, it’s the absolute best. This is our opening in-service as we do a lot different than a lot of other systems. We just try to serve the community from the very get-go. A big goal is to make sure the students feel comfortable and they have a really good start to the school year.
“We obviously are going to not only supply them with school supplies today but this event helps to resupply school supplies throughout the year,” Dr. Gardenhour continued. “We want to thank all our sponsors who can be found on our website. We want to say thank you to the community as well because everything that happens today is 100 percent donations from the community and we have approximately 45 businesses that sees it in their heart to give to our students.
“It’s just not school supplies either because there are about 26 vendors who offer free opportunities for students to get anything from dental care to medical care and those vendors are here to help students in need.
“Today is one of the best days of the year for us. The kids are what make the school year.”
