NEWS
A Math Lesson for the Holidays
A lesson in arithmetic added up to a large donation of food for local families in need. This December, fourth graders from the Mary E. Dardess Elementary School put the math and money skills they learned in class to practical use - by doing some holiday grocery shopping for the Ghent Food Pantry.
Prior to their trip to the supermarket, fourth grade teachers Theresa Rossi and Brianne Collins asked students to bring in donations from home, and together their classes collected nearly $200 to spend on groceries. The money was divided equally among groups of students, who were tasked with making their cash go as far as possible. With store flyers in hand, the students put together tightly budgeted shopping lists, selecting healthy, nonperishable food items that could be used by families to make wholesome meals.
On December 1, the classes walked from M.E.D to the nearby Price Chopper on Route 66. There the students scoured the aisles for the items on their lists, kept track of their costs, and with a little help from the chaperones, brought their goods to the checkout lane for purchase.
“It’s a math lesson for the holidays,” said Ms. Collins. “The students get to practice making change, learn about healthy choices and get some exercise. Our classes do this every year.”
By the end of the trip, the two classes had purchased enough groceries to fill a large shopping cart to overflowing. The groceries where left with the store for the Ghent Food Pantry to collect at a later date.