Soup’s on at Berlin Elementary

Don’t be a chicken. Even if it’s chilly outside, venture out on Oct. 4 and get yourself some soup at the annual Berlin Elementary Soup Supper, and at the same time you get a fantastic meal, you’ll also be helping provide the school with some crucial learning tools for the students.

All bad puns aside, the 30th annual Berlin Soup Supper is an evening of tasty soup, and plenty of community togetherness, as patrons sit and chat as they enjoy the evening’s meal.

Diners will have a choice between chili and chicken noodle soup, and there will also be carrots, celery, cauliflower, pickles, cookies and drink, as well as vegetable dip, cheese, crackers, fry pies, dinner rolls and peanut butter spread.

The cost at the door is $5 for adults and $4.50 for children age 12 and under, while children under three eat for free. Serving time for the meal will be from 5-7:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria.

In addition to the soup supper, there will also be the annual kindergarten raffle, with tickets available the night of the supper, in which patrons can win some amazing prizes donated by local businesses. There will also be a Scholastic Book Fair, where families can purchase some excellent reading material for their children, from Harry Potter to Clifford the Big Red Dog and everything in between.

According to Berlin Elementary principal Darren Blochlinger, the funds from the event in the past have gone toward numerous school functions, including new school playground equipment and reading materials. This year’s funds will be partially earmarked for several new Smart Boards for classrooms.

Smart Boards combine the simplicity of a whiteboard with the power of a computer, and help teachers deliver dynamic lessons, write notes in digital ink and keep kids engaged and excited about learning with the simple touch of a finger.

“Right now we have seven Smart Boards in the school, and our hope is to buy a couple more with this year’s funds from the supper,” said Blochlinger. “Eventually we believe it will be beneficial for us to get a Smart Board in all 17 classrooms.”

Blochlinger also said that some of the funds will go toward the ongoing Reading Counts program, which allows students to read a huge selection of children’s books and then take online quizzes on each, collecting points as they go which eventually lead to earning prizes.

“Everything we do here is geared toward encouraging kids to read,” said Blochlinger.

Perhaps the biggest plus in the evening is the community unity it builds, as parents and families not only support the supper through attending and purchasing meals and raffle tickets, but they also donate much of the food for the evening’s festivities.

“This is one of my favorite nights of the year,” said Blochlinger. “It’s such a great community builder. So many people get involved, and last year we had more than 900 people come through for supper. It also gives people who don’t often come in to school a chance to see it and to see what we are doing. It’s a real community thing, and we could not do it without so many community people donating and volunteering.”