By MOLLY DAVIDSON / Staff Writer

NORTH SHELBY—Sunny skies, warm weather and plenty of laughter set the stage for the Inverness Elementary School Eaglethon Fun Run on Oct. 8. Kindergarten and first graders kicked the festivities off, running between 30 and 35 laps as parents and teachers cheered them on.

“One of the things I love about this school is we have teachers who are excited and parents who are excited,” IES Principal Christine Hoffman said.

The fun run was not a race, rather students focused on having a good time, dancing and encouraging their friends.

The Eaglethon Fun Run capped off the IES PTO’s nine-day Boosterthon fundraiser. Throughout the fundraiser, students learned about different athletes from across the world and prepared for the 30- to 35-lap fun run.

“It’s been a lot of fun, the kids really loved it,” IES PTO president Amy Tubre said.

Family and friends pitched in too, making pledges to students for each lap of the fun run.

With a goal of $30,000, Boosterthon is the IES PTO’s largest fundraiser of the year.

“We’ve gotten to our goal! We’re very excited,” Tubre said, adding Boosterthon was a “huge success.”

Money raised during Boosterthon will help fund the PTO’s project to update and improve the school’s playground and purchase technology for classrooms.

The IES PTO sponsors many other initiatives at the school throughout the year, including providing lunches for faculty, campus improvement projects and supplying teachers funds to set up their classrooms at the beginning of the school year.

“We just have a really involved, really organized PTO that’s very supportive of the school and teachers,” Hoffman said. “What I love about our PTO is they’re so energetic, they follow through and they’re positive.”