Staffers, Principal Get Pied For A Cause At Maple Street School

VERNON, CT — Five staffers at Vernon's Maple Street School, along with principal Joshua Egan had pies smashed in their faces to celebrate a fundraiser for the Parent-Teacher Organization began modestly last month and ended this month exceeding expectations.

The fundraiser began when students were asked to put loose change into jugs outside the school’s main office. On each jug was the face of a school staff member, and all had agreed to take a pie to the face if they were among the top five fundraisers.

The effort quickly moved beyond loose change. Paper currency and rolled coins began filling some jugs.

"The goal basically was to raise as much money for the PTO as possible," Maple Street PTO president Jennifer Elliott said. "We’re a small school and we try to provide a lot of stuff for the kids without having to ask parents for money."

The money helps cuts costs for field trips and T-shirts for events and yearbooks for fifth graders.

"Our funds have been depleted, so we wanted to raise a lot of money this year," Elliott said.

Elliott said the pie idea was first directed at Egan and then 27 other staff members agreed to join in.

"The feedback has been amazing Elliott said early into the efforts. "I bet we’re going to raise a lot of money."

A Maple Street mom then decided to up the ante.

Alicia McCavanagh told friends and family on Facebook that she would take a pie to the face for each $100 donated to the Maple Street School PTO. In a video posted to Facebook, she revealed $1,400 had been donated and began taking plates filled with whipped topping to the face. Soon after, Alicia and her children, two of whom attend Maple Street School, were covered too.

Her daughter, fourth-grader Eve McCavanagh, said children became excited about the fundraise and knew during the efforts that, "Mr. Egan is probably getting pied.”

Those who were pied Friday were Egan, school administrative assistant Simone Christian, pre-kindergarten coordinator Shelley McCone, Grade 1 teacher Chelsea Artzerounian, Grade 4 teacher Alicia Biske, and Grade 5 teacher Melissa Fabuien.