Blaine R. House was one of the community's finest teachers and individuals.

He unexpectedly passed away on May 7, 2013.House had such a positive impact on not only the students of Towamensing Elementary School, but the faculty too.Kelli Costenbader is the leader of the Raising The House committee, which was put together to honor and remember House."It was a very sad time when he passed away," said Costenbader, "but it really brought together this sixth-grade class. We decided we wanted to do something and recognize all of the great things he has done."The committee has made huge strides since it first got together last September.A spaghetti dinner was held in February, which raised $3,000. A 5-K race was put together the following month in Palmerton that had a remarkable 383 participants, despite the long winter season."It was a lot of time and hard work but absolutely well worth it," said Costenbader."The week before the race some of our National Junior Honor Society kids even helped shovel the snow off the ground to help make the race possible. We got lucky and had a beautiful day the day of the event."Saturday was the most recent event at Towamensing Elementary School.A brand-new playground was built behind the school in honor of House.Everyone on the committee who spoke at the event agreed that there's nothing happier then children playing outside on a playground."Mr. House was always the first one out on the playground," Costenbader said. "He loved playing kickball with the kids. This was what we envisioned as what would be the best way to serve his memory."The sixth-grade students that were present at the event seemed to have an amazing time playing with one another on the new equipment.The playground will be there forever and will serve, as a great place to build friendships and create more memories that will last forever."He was always the first one in the hall greeting every student that came into school every day," said Costenbader."He always took the time and energy to get to know all of his students. The day after he passed away, every single student was in school, which shows how much he meant to the students."The committee's next big event is planned for March 21 of next year when it will host another 5-K event in Palmerton.