Curtin Intermediate School’s motto, “Enter to Learn, Go Forth, and Serve,” is not just a phrase, but a principle the students take to heart. Their commitment to the service-oriented project, “Socktober,” is a testament to this.
On Friday, September 27th, Andrew G. Curtin Intermediate School kicked their annual Positive School-Wide Behavior Program (PBIS) with their first “FINAL FRIDAY” event of the year: “SOCKTOBERFEST” This is their community-wide event that begins a month-long endeavor of collecting new socks to benefit the homeless population in Lycoming County.
This is the 10th year that students have participated in “Socktober” at Curtin.
At this event, every student in the school has the opportunity to experience engaging activities that also deliver a wealth of information on the services and other resources available in the City of Williamsport.
Socktoberfest is their first Positive School-Wide Behavior event of the year, with a large portion of our focus on following their 4 Bs (Be Present, Be Respectful, Be Responsible & Be Safe) in school and their community. Every student received a bag of goodies filled with information about the local resources, along with other fun items.
They give a huge thank you to the Lycoming County United Way, Wegmans, Frito-Lay, Kellogg’s, Sam’s Club, River Valley Health and Dental, and the Central PA Food Bank for their substantial contributions to the contents of these bags.
For the month of October, they will be collecting new socks for #Socktober.
Here are the #Socktober directions:
– Collect new socks all month (October 1-October 31). These will be given to our local agencies after Socktober is over.
– Bring new socks to gym ONLY ON PE days and hang them on your grade-level’s sock line.
– Encourage our families and community to purchase new socks from our Amazon Wishlist shared on the Curtin Facebook page!
They are grateful for the support of these local agencies, which have helped us spread the word about Socktober: the Lycoming County United Way, the Central PA Food Bank, the YWCA of Northcentral PA, Family Promise, Strengthening Families, American Rescue Workers, West End Christian Community Center, and Sojourner Truth Ministries.
“Socktober has become an important part of our school’s identity. While we enter our school to learn our ABCs and 123s, we also want our students to go forth and serve each other with kindness and empathy. The month-long drive goes beyond a simple pair of socks,” Anna Radspinner, a music educator in the Williamsport School District and an organizer of the event, told Webb Weekly. “Since we have been hosting “Socktober fest,” we have been able to help many families with various issues like food, bedding and housing. While not everyone has significant struggles, everyone at some point will know someone struggling. Socktoberfest has taught our students that there are helpers everywhere in our community, starting with looking in the mirror.”
The nonprofits benefiting are American Rescue Workers, Sojourner Truth Ministries, YWCA, Family Promise, and the West End Christian Community Center. We will also share our socks within the school district for clothing closets. They will be sending socks to the greater community of North Carolina and other areas affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The Lycoming County United Way is a Bombas Sock partner and has donated 2,000 pairs of Bombas socks to our school. They instructed us to ” keep them if you need them; if you don’t, give them back to the school.”
According to Radspinner, Curtin’s “Soctoberfest” since 2014 has yielded more than 50,000 pairs of socks.
On the Cover: Representatives stand with students from Curtin Intermediate in the fall of 2023. Their contribution to the sock drive last year is what put the total over 50,000. From back left are Woodlands Bank representatives Sara Kropp, Danielle Murray and Emily Lose. Kneeling are students (from left) Hadley Diemer, Nina Radspinner and Caroline Ritter.
