By Lisa Farese, Ocean Palms Elementary PTO
Ocean Palms Elementary hosted its annual Family Night this April in conjunction with an art showcase, STEM activities and the Otter Spirit Auction.
OPE’s Family Night featured inflatables, a game truck, a DJ, a candy walk, face painting, balloon art, the book fair and food provided by Jersey Mike’s and Trasca. Otter families could relax, enjoy time with family and friends and come together as a community, thanks to this event, which was sponsored by Ponte Vedra Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics.
Additionally, families were taken on an art adventure as part of a collaborative effort between the PTO Children’s Access to Art Program chairs and OPE’s art teacher. With student work lining the hallways throughout the school and a special, interactive art display in the cafeteria, students showed their families their unique pieces of work, created some of their own and families could even bid on the collaborative art pieces created by all students in each grade. Finally, the media center was home to a choir performance and poetry readings.
STEM was also celebrated with hands-on activities throughout the night. These activities were led and sponsored by Code Ninjas.
Finally, families checked out the Otter Spirit Auction filled with live shows, tours, vacations, summer camps and more. The auction raised over $30,000, which will go back to support OPE.
