Laughter and giggles exploded from the circle of children gathered in the gym at Beach Grove Elementary last Thursday morning.
Seeing shoes being thrown at their principal and teacher was an absolutely hilarious sight for them. Being hit with shoes was worth it for principal Rachael Corneil and teacher Lynda Tyler, given it was all for a good cause.
When the school started planning for its annual Terry Fox Run, it occurred to teachers that while their students would be running around the school in runners, many children in the world cannot afford shoes.
So the school decided to add a second event to its Terry Fox Day, asking students to collect used shoes to be donated to children in Africa.
They brought the collected shoes to school and, for a $2 donation to the Terry Fox Foundation, got to throw them at Corneil and Tyler.
Decked out in protective gear comprising of a hockey mask and padding for Tyler, and a bike helmet, gas mask and hockey padding for Corneil, the two targets sat back-to-back in the centre of the gym.
The school's 308 students gathered around them in anticipation. Starting with the youngest kids, one by one the students tossed their shoes.
As the shoes sailed towards them, Corneil and Tyler theatrically batted them down with their protective padding.
The pile of shoes grew into a heap surrounding Corneil and Tyler. In the end, 211 pairs had been collected for African children.
The shoes will be sent to Africa via The RunInn, which regularly collects shoes for those in need.
