Book auction yields $1,000 for Animal Friends

Boyce Middle School fifth graders raised nearly $1,000 to benefit Animal Friends. Representatives from the organization visited the school on June 1, 2017, to accept the donation.

The 80 students on the Challenger Team held a used book auction on May 17. Students donated gently used books from home and then were able to place a “bid” for one or more that they wanted – with the book going to the highest bidder.

In the fall, students had the opportunity to vote on their charity of choice with Animal Friends being the top vote getter.

“This is important to the students since they chose the charity, many of them have pets, and they had a blast outbidding their friends,” Beth Harris, Challenger Team teacher, said.

For every $75 donated to Animal Friends, the students get to name a pet. Student voting produced the following list of 13 names: Apollo, Chewbacca, Oreo, Boomer, Alfonso, Mo Mo, Pickles, Jaun Ton, Cosmo, Paris, Zeus, Beamer and Caramel.

The book auction is an annual event that has been a mainstay at Boyce Middle School for approximately 10 years. Previous charities have included Make a Wish, Angel Ridge Animal Shelter, Breast Cancer, American Heart Association, Save the Manatees and the Ronald McDonald House.

The fifth grade team is led by teachers Beth Harris, Steve Nicklas, Suzan Hollist and Chrissy Caragein.