As part of a three-event series, teachers from Pleasant Valley Elementary School held Dewey Day for their students under the roof in front of the school.

The event included several stations for the children to navigate including the Dewey bookmobile to get free books, math games, a reading circle, service dogs, snack station courtesy of the Western Pocono Women’s Club, bike safety and free helmets from St. Luke’s University Health Network, and a sticker station for their new helmets with PVHS’s Future Business Leaders of America. The July 19 event was the second of three.

The first event was in June, when 70 children and their families came out for a similar night with math games and activities, and went home with a free book, said Joan Bumbulsky, a PVES teacher and member of the organizing committee.

“I think it’s going really well,” Bumbulsky said.

Ten teachers volunteered their time to work with the children, she said.

Ann Gordon, who also helped organize the events, said, “When you cannot only educate the kids and reach out to the parents, it’s a good day.”

Both women praised PVES math specialist Stacy Meckes for incorporating math into the event, which started with just reading.

The math station had money-themed activities for each grade level. In addition to Meckes, it was staffed by Christie Dobb and Jackie Hardy.

The events were open to all children at PVES, but limited to the first 30 from each grade to register at the end of the school year.

Bumbulsky said they limited the number of participants, “so we would have a manageable size.” This is the first year the teachers have held this series.

Alyson Diaz, who will be in third grade this upcoming year, said she enjoyed the sticker station.

“I like it, because you can put stickers on the helmet,” she said.

Diaz scanned the piles of stickers at FBLA’s table and selected the perfect ones for her new bike helmet.

Her favorite sticker was of two golden retrievers. “I love it,” she said.

FBLA member Anessa House said about the children that clamored around her table, “They went through the stickers quickly.”

The bike helmets are part of an outreach program through the Trauma Department at St. Luke’s University Health Network.

“They get safety information and other activities in their backpacks,” said Stephanie Noll, a nurse at St. Luke’s Carbon Campus.

Jennifer Misero, a nurse at St. Luke’s Monroe Campus, added that the papers also include information about water safety.

Over at the pooches, several different breeds of dogs provided a different type of health benefit - emotional support.

“The kids loved the dogs,” said Beth Moses, founder of Melon’s Gift and Kan-Dou.

Moses brought her German shepherd Mika to the event to interact with the children. The pup was joined by other members’ dogs including a Newfoundland, a black Labrador retriever, and a small mixed-breed poodle pup.

Moses said Melon’s Gift is a nonprofit organization that raises money to fight cancers found in men.

“There’s a lot of money for women’s cancer, but not for men,” she said.

Kan-Dou is a program to bring dogs into schools to visit with children, she said.

The third event titled Bikers and Backpacks will be held Aug. 9 for students who have already preregistered.

That night, they will get a chance to try out their new bike helmets on a minibike safety course set up by H.O.G. Owners group #3325 behind the school, Bumbulsky said.

The event will also include more math games, books to take home, a new backpack for school, and an opportunity to look at some big bikes - Harley-Davidson motorcycles to be exact.

The series of events were funded through a Pleasant Valley Education Foundation grant and the PVES Parent-Teacher Organization.