Jambalaya and Jazz Night

At UPA we try to give our students enriching cultural experiences both inside and outside of the school environment. Over the past year we've brought in children's authors, local musicians, fire fighters, police officers, and others. We've also gone on a variety of field trips throughout the area. We plan to continue all of this programming, and one of the ways that we pay for it (or, in the case of field trips, offset the parental contribution) is through fundraising. Our big fall fundraiser this year was 'Jambalaya and Jazz Night.'

It was a festive night with families and staff gathering in the gymnasium to eat Jambalaya, sweet treats, and listen to the mellow jazz stylings of a high school trio. The highlight of the evening for most was the basket raffle. Our class' contribution, 'Cooking with Children,' was a highly sought-after prize. We were able to include a children's cook book, oven mitt, adult and child-size aprons, colorful mixing bowls and measuring cups, wooden mixing spoons, cupcake tins, decorations, cake mixes, and more (see picture above).

Two students from our class won baskets of their own -- congratulations Marvin and Jaron!