Fun and fancy

Tables clothes, bouquets of flowers, tea lights, Friday lunches at Monroe Elementary have been getting fancy. For the last several weeks, Fancy Friday has been a highlight for students letting them have their meal surrounded by some of the finer things in life.

“The teachers on lunch duty called for a meeting because this time of year we always need to review our expectations at lunch so we brainstormed some ideas on something positive we could do to help with the expectations,” Monroe Elementary Instruction Coach Mandy Shannon said.

The program works by “catching” kids following the expectations set out for lunchtime and giving them a special Fancy Friday ticket. The tickets are put in an envelope for their class and on Fridays, a drawing takes place with six kids participating from each class.

“We set up two tables with special table cloths, flowers, tea lights, a special dessert and water with lemons,” Shannon said. “We play music during this time, as well.”

The students selected also receive fancy titles such as queen, princess, lady, king, sir and prince. During its run, every student at the elementary school was able to participate in Fancy Friday.

Special guests have also stopped by to eat with the students during Fancy Friday. Some people who have made an appearance include Rusty Vos in his firefighter gear, homecoming king Dylan Warrick and queen Riley Hjortshoj, music teacher Emma LeValley as Thunder the PCM mascot, among others.

“They enjoyed all the guests and every student had the opportunity to sit at the Fancy Friday tables,” Shannon said.

The goal of Fancy Friday was for the kids to do a better job following the Mustang Way while in the lunchroom, Shannon said. The new program succeeded and more with a terrific response from not only the students but the adults, as well.

“I think we will for sure bring it back next year,” Shannon said.

Contact Jamee A. Pierson at 641-792-3121 ext. 6534 or jpierson@newtondailynews.com