Kitty Badger welcomes a delivery from Cici's Pizza as a prize in the Kidd Kraddick contest spotlighting public schools' community service efforts. Troup Middle School won the contest and a $500 pizza party. One of the fund-raising efforts at TMS is the annual celebration of Pi Week, where students raise money by purchasing pies to throw at their math teachers (above). The money goes to Troup Cares. During the last few weeks of school, Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Radio Show hosted a contest requiring schools to create a You-Tube video that showed how their students helped their community throughout the school year. Troup Middle School won the contest and a $500 pizza party from Cici's Pizza.

"Considering as much community service as our middle school students provide to our community in Troup, we found it only fitting to get our kids to create a video and submit it to Kidd Kraddick," said middle school teacher Cassie Blanton.

As documented in a previous article in the Tri County Leader, Troup Middle School students participate in "Pi" Week every year to celebrate the number 3.14, or Pi. One of the activities the students get really involved in is the "Pi in the Face Race."

In this activity, each grade level participates as a team and raises money to get to pie their math teacher in the face. Students raise money by giving money to math teachers to purchase the pies. Paper plates are taped to the wall to keep track of each grade level's earnings.

After several weeks, the money is counted and the grade level that raised the most money gets the opportunity to pie their math teacher in the face. Although the motivation for giving money is to get to pie their math teacher in the face, the students know that the money they give will be going to a good cause.

All of the money that the students raise gets donated to an organization called Troup Cares. In the last two years, the Troup Middle School students have donated over $2,000 to this amazing organization. Troup Cares provides meals for families at Thanksgiving, gifts and meals for families at Christmas, and many other opportunities for families that might not otherwise be possible without the help from TMS students.

TMS students who worked on the winning video "Not only do the students donate money to Troup Cares, but many are also involved in our afterschool Community Service program where they help out at the Food Pantry and make latch-hook rugs for the elderly," said Blanton. "As you can see, our Troup Middle School students have helpful hands and big hearts."

Students created a You-Tube video documenting their community service efforts. The winning video chosen by the Kidd Kraddick in the Morning Show can be seen at http:// www.youtube.com/ watch?v=E9AXAe-DXm4.

"Public schools are filled with so many state rules and obligations, that it can sometimes be difficult to teach community awareness and service to our students. But, at Troup we feel it is such an important issue and are so honored to have students that like to help out as much as they do," said Blanton.

"It was also great to hear DJs promoting community service, as youth these days are so 'plugged in' to the media. So, we would just like to thank our Troup Middle School students for being so helpful to their community, and everyone who was involved in helping to win the contest. It was an awesome way to end the school year!"