Elementary students sweeten up for Valentine's Day

PINE PLAINS — It was sort of a first date for students from the two elementary schools in the Pine Plains school district, as a joint Valentine’s Day dance was held last Friday evening, Feb. 12, at Seymour Smith Elementary.

The district is working hard to move forward with plans to reconfigure its elementary schools this coming September. All students in kindergarten through grade two will find themselves at Cold Spring Elementary School in Stanfordville, while grades three to five will be housed at Seymour Smith Elementary School in Pine Plains.

The dance was held in the gymnasium for grades three to five. It was sponsored by the Seymour Smith PTA as an opportunity for the students from both schools to get to know each other, explained its vice president, Santina Tirone.

The gym and nearby hallway were decorated in Valentine’s Day fashion for the event, and some students took the opportunity to dress up for the occasion — the girls in dresses and a few boys going so far as making the dance a suit-and-tie affair.

Inside the gymnasium there was plenty to be excited about. A DJ provided the musical backdrop for a lively game of musical chairs, and half a dozen activities and games lined the sides of the gym and provided the atmosphere where someone might meet a new friend or two.

The $5 admission fee will benefit the Seymour Smith PTA, which is currently working toward an art show in the elementary school gym on March 12. The event, open from 6 to 8 p.m., will feature the artistic side of students, their parents and school staff.

“We held it last year, and it was a big hit,� said Seymour Smith PTA Board President Christina Coughlin.

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