School pride sparkles at first ever Bengalthon

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — The first ever “Bengalthon” was held at Bloomfield Middle School on Friday, Oct. 5. The event was a fundraiser for the Bloomfield Educational Foundation and involved school district sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

For a suggested donation of $10 apiece, the students were asked to walk five times around one of the school fields.
The ground was sodden from rain in some places, but this was of no concern to the children. Although not everyone covered five laps — the circumference of the field is considerable — 1,500 festive students had the privilege of setting out en masse after having raised $9,500, according to Ann Dassing of the BEF.

The event also attracted various Bloomfield High School contingents, including its band, cheerleaders and track team members. Bloomfield College also sent runners. Lunch was provided to the students al fresco — tables with pizza, juice and fruit were beside the building — and bottled water was distributed at both ends of the field.
Dassing said BMS Principal Alla Vayda-Manzo and the foundation wanted to create an event that would make a contribution to healthy living and at the same time give Bloomfield public school sixth-graders the opportunity to participate in an activity at the middle school. Bengalthon planning began in January.

“Eventually the sixth-graders are going to be here at the middle school,” Dassing said. “We thought if they walked it would be great for them to come here. It would help take away the anxiety of their first day of school when they do come. Some sixth-graders have never been here before.”

The money collected for Bengalthon will be used for after-school health, wellness and enrichment programs. Dassing said the programs will be offered at the middle school to sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

Schools superintendent Sal Goncalves, in an email, said he found the event to be a great success.
“Working with BHS , BMS and all our sixth-grade elementary schools to provide a program that boosts health and partners with the Bloomfield Educational Foundation and local business, such as ShopRite and Modell’s, is an amazing opportunity,” he said. “Fifteen hundred students extremely well behaved and motivated makes me very proud.”

In an email, Joe Fleres, the director of elementary education, said Vayda-Manzo and assistant principals Annette Baker and Joe Sarmiento, did a fantastic job coordinating Bengalthon.

“This was a great way to introduce our sixth-graders to BMS and a great way for BMS students to literally take learning into their own hands to help support after-school opportunities.”

Vayda-Manzo said the theme of the Bengalthon was “taking care of yourself from the inside out.”
“The funding will provide health and wellness programs, including but not limited to yoga, meditation, dance, sports clinics, nutrition and art,” she said in an email. “A survey will be conducted to poll students’ interests. The goal is to start in January and we hope to have district staff and outside vendors provide the programs. Some members of the community have already reached out to offer services.”

Vayda-Manzo said she and the foundation were humbled by the show of support and donations for the first Bengalthon.
“This was a tremendous celebration of the Bloomfield community,” she said, “and we are eager to put programs in place to benefit our students.”
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