February 9, 2023
Sikeston R-6 schools mark 100th day with celebrations and math lessons
Every year Sikeston Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center and Sikeston R-6 elementary schools celebrate the 100th day of school. The school district makes the occasion entertaining for the students by allowing them to dress up as “100-year-old people.”...
By Gina Williams/Standard Democrat
Every year Sikeston Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center and Sikeston R-6 elementary schools celebrate the 100th day of school. The school district makes the occasion entertaining for the students by allowing them to dress up as “100-year-old people.”
According to Alecia Jordan, principal of Wing Elementary, the 100th day of school, which was Thursday, Feb. 9, is always a really exciting day for the students as well as a day of celebration, adding that the kindergarten and elementary schools are usually the ones that focus on commemorating the 100th day of school.
“So the 100th day of school is just a fun day, a super-exciting day, and during this day, we literally just celebrate the number 100,” Jordan said.
Jordan said that the 100th day of school provides students with the chance to learn while having fun.
“But it’s also another way to pull in fun learning activities, and it’s a way for us to connect real-life examples of the value of 100,” Jordan said. “So it’s different ways for them to get to see the value of the number 100.
Jordan continued: “All year long we work on counting to 100 and place value with upper grades and adding three-digit numbers, and so they learn it that way, but this is just a great, fun day for them to learn the actual value of 100.”
Jordan also mentioned on the 100th day of school they have exciting activities to help children understand the value of 100 by counting items, and that some of the classrooms create trail mix in groups of 10 and get to dress up like a 100-year-old person.
“So, with their parents they kind of learn about how life is different at 100,” she said.
Jordan emphasized the day also allows them to teach the children in a variety of ways.
“If they can understand the value of 100, that helps them understand less than, greater than,” Jordan said. “When you’re talking to them about even in time and minutes, they might not necessarily understand how long two hours is, but once they learn the value of 100, then we can say, “Well, it’s 120 minutes.”
Jordan said the students really love everything about celebrating the 100th day of school as well.
“They love everything about it,” Jordan said. “The kids love dressing up, and they really do get into character.”
Jordan added that the students will have canes and walkers and will even change their voices to fit the 100-year-old character.
“They act the part; they fully act the part,” Jordan said.
The district’s other two elementary schools, Lee Hunter and Southeast, also hold similar celebrations.
Sikeston Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center celebrates in a different way. The youngsters can still dress up like a 100-year-old person, but they also have an assembly.
Jenny Hobeck, principal of Sikeston Kindergarten and Early Childhood Center, dresses up every year as “Hero Zero” for the assembly.
“We just have a big assembly,” said Hobeck who has been dressing up as Hero Zero for nearly 20 years. “A lot of the kids know it’s me, but not really because I have a wig and I try to use a different accent.
Hobeck continued: “We say we’re celebrating the 100th day and that we are 100 days smarter.”
Hobeck also said at the assembly, they count to 100 and pop balloons.
“I have the teachers come up and hold them, and I pop balloons by 10,” Hobeck said. “I have kids come up and help, and we count by fives together all the way to 100.”
Hobeck added that they also celebrate the 100th day of school by dancing and all the kids wear crowns.
“Our kiddos today, they all got 100-day little crowns, 100-day slap bracelets and stickers,” Hobeck said.
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