For the third straight year, officials from Petal Primary School are hosting the “Paint the Rock” initiative to help raise funds for the school’s Parent Teacher Organization, while maintaining a focus on the social and emotional development of their students.
During the Paint the Rock initiative, which lasts throughout the summer and allows anyone to become a “rock star,” the rock can be rented for a small fee. The rock, which is located on the school campus at the corner of Herrington Road and Stadium Drive, can be painted with individualized messages for students, parents or anyone in particular.
“This originally started as a fundraiser, and it still is a fundraiser that our PTO makes money off of, but it really gives parents an opportunity to come and do something fun with their kids on campus,” primary school principal Tessa Trimm said. “We just hope that parents will come and paint with their kids and take another little opportunity to do something together.”
The rock can be reserved online at https://bit.ly3CTjLjw and can be painted with birthdays, accomplishments, celebrations, or to thank primary school teachers or staff members. Rentals are $20 each and last for a 24-hour period.
The rock is available on a first-come, first-served basis, and all reservations must be made and confirmed before painting the rock. Individuals who paint the rock will be responsible for paint, labor and supplies, and parent or guardian supervision is required when painting the rock.
Painting is limited to the rock, so tarps, drop cloths or garbage bags must be used to protect the grass and area around the rock.
“The most important thing is, if parents want to reserve the rock for their child’s birthday, they need to reserve it for the day before,” Trimm said. “You reserve it and paint it on a day, and then it’s displayed all the next day.”
Officials reserve the right to cover or remove any painting that is deemed inappropriate for public viewing, such as foul language, violent images, political messages or religious views.
No refunds will be issued for inclement weather or forgotten reservations, but in the event of rain, individuals will have the option of choosing another rental period.
To request a rain check, a participant must email the primary PTO, petalprimaryschoolpto@gmail.com, within 48 hours of the original rental date.
One hundred percent of the proceeds will go toward the school’s PTO for items like technology, playground equipment and treats for teachers and students.
“This is the third year we’ve done it, and we had to clean the rock this summer because people paint over it – you paint over and it and the next person comes,” Trimm said. “What happens is, that paint just builds and builds, so what happens is, the rock is getting bigger and bigger.
“We had to get out there this summer with some paint remover and a pressure washer to get it back down to its original size.
Trimm said she was very pleased with the turnout over the past couple of years, and is looking forward to the completion of the current initiative.
“It’s great; the parents want to get out and participate, and we’ve even had some people who aren’t from Petal Primary School (participate),” she said. “We’ve had some churches reserve it, and some people wanted to display it for more than a day, so we’ve had some businesses that have said, ‘hey, there’s some advertisements we can show with our parents.’ I’m excited that our parents are excited about it … and how successful it’s been.”
