Neon Nights at Thirkill

Thirkill Elementary hosted what the PTO referred to a “Family Dance” night for students, their parents, and families.

PTO President Amanda Larsen was joined by members of the PTO, Thirkill administration and staff, and many parents for an active night of safe and family-friendly fun.  The dance is a tradition in town, and evolved from the original “Daddy-Daughter” style dance to one that allows for everyone in a family to participate.  

Fiona Benson--”DJ Fi”--handled the music duties for the night.

 “DJ FI” (Fiona Benson) ran the sound system throughout the night, playing a mix of songs for kids and adults alike as the two groups danced in the blacklit neon gymnasium.  Benson is professionally trained as a dancer, and used that skill and knowledge to lead the dancers through various games and activities throughout the night. 

Glowsticks were handed out to the dancers, and the gym was decorated in full day-glo glory. 

Photographer Shena Smith was present with her photo booth, which was a major draw for kids and parents looking to keep a permanent record of the event.  Her booth is available for bookings, and she can be reached through True Expression Photography contact information on her professional pages. 

“The point is connection, getting families into the school and having positive experiences here,” PTO president Amanda Larsen said.  “We’re doing it for fun—we’re getting to use Shena’s photo booth this year, which is super fun and cool.  And Fiona is part of a dance company, and we’re super lucky.  We’ve got legit people!”

In addition to the those already mentioned, Larsen thanked Beth Cheirrett, “who did all the decorations, and she did such a good job with the look of everything.”

Also thanked was Degerstrom.  “Degerstrom is a big reason we can do this tonight—they gave us a generous donation that will allow us to do fun things for many years to come, we hope.  We’re trying to be wise how to make the biggest impact with our resources, so we decided for now to make this event more special because it’s one we already one that we love so much and feel like is successful at the mission of bringing the community together.”  More information on the Degerstrom donation is set to be released in upcoming weeks. 

Thirkill’s PTO is just getting started, with a lot more to come this year.

Larsen also thanked Shannon Steele and Thirkill staff who helped make the event a success.