Newton County third graders chowed down on hotdogs, chips and cookies Thursday at Newton County Elementary School as part of the Bugs Plus program, which rewards students for studying hard and improving their grades.
Mark Buntyn, president of the Decatur Chamber of Commerce, which sponsors the program, said Bugs Plus exists to recognized academic growth among third-grade students. Helped out by teachers, who identify students who have improved their grades over the school year, volunteers reward the students with lunch and t-shirts, he said.
“The teachers help identify students, and we feed them lunch and give them t-shirts,” he said. “It’s a really, really great program.”
Buntyn said having a program to recognize the efforts students put in to their classes is very important to him and the Chamber.
In addition to t-shirts, the students are entered into a drawing for a computer, Buntyn said. After the luncheon, the names of all the students present are put into a hat and the winner drawn out.
Thursday’s drawing winner was Jesslyn Mott. She received an iPad to help her study and continue to grow academically throughout her school career.
