Pupils take Christmas trip
Kim Wall wanted to do something special for her first pupils at Wrens Middle School before the holiday break.
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Wrens Middle School sixth-grader Johnny Smith, 12, loads a cupcake onto his plate before the rest of his classmates found the dessert bar at Golden Corral on Bobby Jones Expressway in Martinez. Builder Mark Herbert and his wife, JoAnn, paid for the school's entire sixth grade class to attend a play at the Imperial Theatre and have lunch.
Photo by Valerie Rowell
So Wall, in her first year of teaching at Wrens, planned a day out at a Christmas play and lunch at a Martinez restaurant for all 129 of her school's sixth-graders.
Wall contemplated fund-raising efforts for the effort when her parents, local builder Mark Herbert and his wife, JoAnn, stepped in to foot the bill.
"(Wall) talked to us about doing something special for the children," JoAnn Herbert said Thursday while the children enjoyed lunch at Golden Corral on Bobby Jones Expressway in Martinez. "She was going to do a fund-raiser to do this project for the kids day out. Her dad and I decided to do it, step in and pay for it.
"We said, 'Yeah, we'll do it. You don't have to go any further.'"
The Herberts treated the pupils Thursday morning to A Christmas Carol performed by the Augusta Players before heading to Golden Corral for lunch.
"It was good. I liked the play and everything," said Bradley Rogers, 13.
Wall said the pupils were excited when she told them about the field trip. She asked each pupil to write or draw why they wanted to go on the trip.
"They were so excited," Wall said. "Half of them were excited about coming to the play. The other half (were excited) about coming to Golden Corral."
Cornelius Drake, 12, a sixth-grader at Wrens Middle School, helps Lavaien McBride with the frozen yogurt.
Photo by Valerie Rowell
Wall said she allowed the pupils to enjoy themselves by letting them eat whatever they wanted, which meant dessert became the main course for many.
Johnny Smith, 12, loaded a cupcake onto his plate along with lunch.
The Herberts, who are active in several local children's charities - including the Columbia County Foundation for Children and the Citizens Panel for Foster Care in Columbia County - wanted not only to give the children a special day, but also to set an example for others.
Mark Herbert said he wants to challenge other builders and developers to step up their involvement in community projects.
"Everybody takes this stuff for granted," he said.
Phillip Stewart, 12, (from right) Eric Ellis, 11, and Chris Hicks, 12, all Wrens Elementary School sixth-graders, enjoy their lunch at the Golden Corral.
Photo by Valerie Rowell