On Saturday, December 4, the Staff Development room was filled with an unfamiliar sight: young children running about as teenagers kept careful watch over them.

This was the SGA’s fourth annual Parent’s Day Out, during which members of the SGA look after children up to age nine on a day at the beginning of the Holiday season. The purpose of the event, which started at 9:00 am and ended at noon, was “to give parents a chance to go shopping without kids,” said Ms. Phillips, an SGA sponsor.

This year’s activities included bowling, arts and crafts, a movie, and cookie decoration. “Sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles at nine in the morning is not a good idea,” said Lauryn Coombs (’11), an SGA officer, with a smile. The sugary treats had sent many of the twelve children figuratively bouncing off the walls. Were the kids too much to handle? “No,” said Coombs, “they’re cute.”

“It’s fun to see high school students interacting with the younger kids,” remarked Phillips. The SGA members found themselves at the beck and call of children half their age, attempting to jump rope or play an impromptu game of soccer with a Styrofoam bowling ball. “Sometimes you have to bribe them,” said Coombs as she played a competitive game of Connect Four with a young child.

Most, if not all, of the participants were children who attend North Point’s Daycare. “I have a good time helping out teachers (and) I think it’s good to give parents a free day because I know things get hectic (at this time of year)” continued Coombs.

In addition to giving parents time to take care of their to-do lists, the SGA students collected canned food donations to benefit families during the holiday season. Parent’s Day Out is just one of the various community service projects that the SGA conducts each year.

At noon, as parents returned to retrieve their young ones, the SGA members and advisors, Mrs. Griffin and Ms. Phillips, found themselves spent from three hours of playing baby-sitter, but found their time well-spent. As Coombs remarked, “kids are pretty cool, you know.”

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