Fund raiser helps send pupils on field trip
Bessie Cadman keeps an eye on her bingo card along with her grandson at Twin Lakes Elementary on Saturday. The second grade class at the school organized the event as a fundraiser for a class field trip.
[photo by Brian Leddy / Independent]

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

TWIN LAKES — The Twin Lakes Elementary School cafeteria was packed on Saturday for a fund raiser to send 22 second-grade pupils to Albuquerque for a class field trip. More space was needed for all the people who came out to support the local children by playing bingo and buying concessions.

This is the second fund raiser for the second grade. In May, the class will be visiting the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and eat at Furr’s and Dairy Queen on its daylong trip to Albuquerque .

Josephine Long, who teaches the second-graders, said that there is no money set aside for the children to take class field trips, so the school leaves it up to the teachers to decide if they want to raise the money.

Long said that for some of the kids, it will be their first time leaving the Twin Lakes-Gallup area.

“A lot of our Native American students, they’re visual students. They would rather see than having you describe what a skeleton looks like or what a robot looks like. They will be able to see it,” she said, explaining the benefits of the class trip.

She said that the class wanted to reach out to the community with its fundraising effort.

“We thought one way to get the community involved would be to go through a bingo,” Long said.

The second-graders were hard at work helping to pick up the bingo cards at the end of the games. Some also helped with concessions. Most brought prizes for the bingo and concessions to be sold. Local merchants also contributed to the effort.

Some of the prize items included sheepherder’s specials, gift certificates, clocks, pottery, tools, sports equipment, and a turquoise jewelry set.

Madeline Cadman was there to support her son and raise money for his field trip.

“He brought some stuff and we want to win some back,” she said laughing as she waited for the next bingo game to start.
Melvina Sherman and her daughter Jerelisa were helping out selling concessions.

Sherman said that sales were “pretty good” Saturday evening.

“They’re going pretty fast,” she said as she sold some candy bars and Power-aid drinks. “My daughter is in the second grade and last year I had Ms. Long teach my son. I don’t mind helping out — anything for these little kids.”