By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY—Cheers of “IES is the best” echoed through the hallways of Inverness Elementary School as students kicked off their Boosterthon fundraiser with a school-wide pep rally on Sept. 29.

Sponsored by the IES PTO, Boosterthon is a nine-day fundraiser, culminating with a fun run on Thursday, Oct. 8. The fundraiser brings together the entire school community, with participation from students, parents and teachers.

Throughout the nearly two-week Boosterthon, students collect pledges from their friends and family for the fun run. Then, on Oct. 8, students will run between 30 and 35 laps as teachers and parents cheer them on, PTO president Amy Tubre explained.

“It’s huge for us, we definitely want everyone to come to the fun run, of course the teachers will be there cheering (the students) on,” Tubre said.

Laps will not be just running. Students will navigate a fun run course and complete themed laps, such as a slow motion lap, an airplane lap and a group dance lap.

Boosterthon is the PTO’s largest fundraising event of the year, Tubre said. This year’s fundraising goal is $30,000. Money raised during Boosterthon supports the PTO’s many projects, such as upgrades to the school’s playground and updating technology, including laptops and projectors.

“It’s all sorts of odds and ends,” Tubre said with a laugh, explaining the PTO also helps teachers purchase materials for their classrooms and funds projects around the IES campus.

The PTO’s assistance is especially important to the teachers at the school.

“They sponsor the arts, they make sure the kids have everything they need,” IES music teacher Kim Youngblood said. “They go above and beyond… not only (for) regular classrooms, but the arts.”