Odyssey Prep event helps raise money for PE, garden programs
By MELISSA ST. AUDE
Casa Grande Dispatch
Stephen King/Dispatch photos
Kids slid, slithered and slipped Saturday through a fundraiser at The Odyssey Preparatory Academy.
The school’s dirt field was transformed into a mud obstacle course with tug-of-war, dirt hills and thick slimy puddles to crawl through and play in.
Three tiny piglets — which escaped from their pen a few times, prompting kids to chase them through the mud — and a giant African tortoise added to the event ambiance.
It was advertised as “good clean fun,” but some of the kids emerged from the event weighing nearly twice their normal amount because of thick layers of mud clinging to their bodies.
Most spent hours going over the course several times.
Kids approached the mud in different ways.
Some jumped into the sludgefilled puddles; others were more hesitant, allowing their toes to test the mud first, then stepping in slowly.
Once in the mud, they crawled and climbed their way out of pits.
A few kids became stuck in the mud and were pulled out by volunteers.
Once pulled to safety, however, most turned around and jumped back into the same mud pit.
The fundraiser was for the school’s physical education department and its student garden program.
But it was more than a fundraiser or a chance to get dirty.
It also helped youngsters connect with nature in hopes they’ll be encouraged to think about environmental challenges that face the world.
