Hillside Kids Urged to Do Something that Once Meant Detention

Children’s author Ruth Spiro established a national holiday in 2006 to help kids raise money for school projects and since then it’s, ahem, blown up. (Photo via National Bubble Gum Day website)

____________

Kids, it’s going to cost you to celebrate Friday’s big holiday.

Valentine’s Day is still about a week away. President’s Day isn’t until Feb. 16.

Still chewing on what it could be?

Friday, Feb. 6, is National Bubble Gum Day. Kids across the country will pay for the privilege to chew gum in school, with proceeds going to any charity the school chooses. At Hillside Elementary School, that’s the Leader in Me initiative, a national program based on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey.

Chewing gum on Friday will cost Hillside students a buck.

Children’s author Ruth Spiro, the mother of two, came up with the idea for National Bubble Gum Day in 2006 as an alternative to fundraisers that require students to sell things like wrapping paper and candy.

“Bubble Gum Day offers schools a fun way to raise money, without kids having to sell stuff,” Spiro said in a press release. “I thought it would be cool to have lots of kids all chewing gum and raising money on the same day, which is why I created the holiday.”

Nationally, schools have raised money to purchase snacks for Marines in Iraq, animals for the Heifer International project, books for Reading is Fundamental and stretch other charities’ dollars just a bit farther.

Students are warned not to blow it by sticking their bubble gum on the bottom of lunch tables and behaving in other ways that might earn them detention or some other disciplinary action.

Teachers will enforce rules and possible restrictions, according to an item on the Farmington Public Schools Listserv. Some teachers may choose not to participate for various reasons. No gum chewing will be allowed during art, music and physical education.

» Sign up for the free daily Farmington-Farmington Hills newsletter and news alerts.