Chubby Checker invited everyone to “twist again, like we did last summer. Twist again, like we did last year.”
While the time before the pandemic was a little more than a year ago, BEST/PTO is responding to a request from families and sending out an enthusiastic invitation to families of Lane School, Davis School, and Preschool students to participate in their “Hearts A Glow” dance on Feb. 11.
BEST PTO (Bedford Elementary Schools Together Parent Teacher Organization) is a volunteer-run group that represents parents and caregivers of all students in grades pre-K through 5 at Davis and Lane schools. Every caregiver of a student at Davis or Lane is automatically a part of the BEST community, as there are no membership fees, time, or attendance requirements. The organization invites all members to join meetings on the first Tuesday of every month to hear what is going on, share ideas, and become involved.
“BEST PTO brainstorms, plans, and creates activities throughout the school year for students, families, and teachers at both schools.” JeaNa, one of the “Hearts A Glow” organizers explained via email.
Some of the BEST events focus on fundraising, such as the Color Run in the spring, while others, such as “Hearts a Glow,” are planned purely to fill the gap for families who want to build a bigger connection and “a more robust community feel to the schools.” It’s a fun event to bring students and families together.
The event will be held at John Glenn Middle School on Saturday, Feb 11. The event is separated into two shifts with separate ticketing. The first from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. will be for Davis School families, and the later slot from 7 to 9 p.m. will be for Lane School families. Both time periods will include a DJ leading the dancing, a photo booth, raffles, glow sticks, and other activities. Food will not be allowed in the gym or as part of the event this year. Participation in all of the activities is included in the price of the tickets ($8 per person).
Inspiration for the dance came from many of the organizers who enjoyed caregiver and child dances they attended and some helped organize through the Bedford Family Connection (a group that caters to families with children under the age of 5). “’Hearts A Glow’ has been reimagined for Davis and Lane students.”
One of the ways the event is reimagined is an “Adult Area” during the Lane School time slot. While each child must be accompanied to the event and accounted for by a responsible adult who remains in attendance, Lane School students will have the option to send their caregivers to a designated adult area of the gym to socialize, giving kids the option and essence of independence.
Tickets can be purchased through the BEST PTO Membership Toolkit platform (or by contacting BEST PTO directly for a Venmo username) until Feb 10. Pre-ordering tickets early is advised. Caregivers can create a free Membership Toolkit account if they are not already a member. The Membership Toolkit will also allow families to access future BEST events, newsletters, and volunteer opportunities. Questions about the event or purchasing tickets can be sent to JeaNa at [email protected].
“Coming out of Covid, we brainstormed different ways to get the community involved outside of the school day.” The organizers hope the event will become a tradition and they welcome ideas.
The dance coordinators advertise, “Dancing is not mandatory, but we hope the event will have fun memories!”
There is always Chubby Checker with “Let’s twist again, twistin’ time is here!”
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