If you walked into Lidgerwood Public School last Thursday, March 20, you probably would have done a double-take. Students and staff were wearing mismatched socks with crazy patterns on them!
The reason for the fashion faux pas: LPS was celebrating World Down Syndrome Day!
World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated every year on March 21 as people with Down syndrome have 3 copies of the 21st chromosome (3/21). That is what makes them so unique! And since chromosomes look like socks under a microscope, everyone wears crazy or mismatched socks to celebrate. Lidgerwood Public School celebrated World Down Syndrome Day on Thursday, March 20, as Friday the 21st was a spring break day for the school.
World Down Syndrome Day is very special to LPS as there are two students at our school who have Down syndrome and one of our teachers has a granddaughter who has Down syndrome. Michael Heley (2nd grade) is the son of Ron and Gina Heley, the administrative assistant at LPS.
Zander Berndt (3rd grade) is the son of our 4th-grade teacher, Alecia Berndt, and Travis Berndt (LPS graduate).
Brinley Bowman is the granddaughter of LPS 2nd-grade teacher Tammy Oster and her husband, Gerald (both LPS graduates), and is the daughter of Haley (LPS graduate) and Ben Bowman. Haley teaches 6th grade at Kulm School and Brinley attends preschool at Kulm.
Also, every year, besides celebrating with our socks, LPS raises money for Gigi's Playhouse by allowing students and staff to wear jerseys and hats for a $1 or more donation to Gigi's.
North Dakota’s first and only Down Syndrome Achievement Center, Gigi's Playhouse supports local and surrounding area families by offering free educational and therapeutic programs to individuals with Down syndrome from birth to adulthood, their families and the community. Gigi's Playhouse is located in Fargo, ND.
This year, Lidgerwood school students and staff raised $426 for Gigi's Playhouse.
The Lidgerwood Daycare also rocked their socks and raised $61 additional money for Gigi's!