Slime Challenge to be settled soon as GREC and NAEC battle it out to the end

Jeff Green | Apr 27, 2022

Things are getting pretty heated in what the Limestone Disrtrict School Board calls “the north”.

It all started with a friendly conversation.

Katherine Reynolds from Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake was talking with Jamie McCullough, Vice Principle at at North Addington Education Centre in Cloyne (who used to work at Granite Ridge) about how the students and staff at both schools needed something to distract everyone after two years of dealing with COVID in the school system.

“We just said, hey, let's get something going on,” she said. “So I suggested that we launch a challenge to the two schools to raise as much money as possible for local food banks in April.”

But the kicker was the slime. When the challenge is over, three staff representatives from the losing school will get slimed by staff from the winning school, in a public ceremony.

The fundraising events have been constant and well executed in both communities, and social media trash talking has been the order of the day all month, only gaining in intensity over time. School mascots have even entered into the fray.

Josh Goodfellow, the Adolescent Care Worker at North Addington (who is form Parham and wen to High School in Sharbot Lake, has been active in the effort at this school.

“We have such spirit in our communities. Our students have gone door to door collecting money, we have had events every week. Finnegan's store, which is located next to the school, has even donated the proceeds from Kawartha Dairy ice cream sales to the cause. The Lions Club has stepped up as well. I must say I am confident,” he said.

He needs to be confident, because along with School Principle John Mooney and Jamie McCullough, Josh is part of the J team who will be slimed if Granite Ridge prevails at the end of the month.

For her part, Katherine Reynolds is equally convinced her side is well ahead and will win.

“We have run many innovative events,” she said, “but unlike NAEC, we are more strategic. I haven't put everything that we've done up on Twitter, because I don't want to give them any of our ideas.”

She shared that pink t-shirts sales, raffles, and Reid's Dairy ice cream sales have been part of the GREC effort, which has involved staff, students, and the local community.

“What I wonder is, if she is so confident, how did she avoid being one of the people who will be slimed when they lose,” said Josh Goodfellow of Katherine Reynolds.

“I don't know how that happened” she laughed when told what Goodfellow had said, “I was ready.”

Reynolds has the task of making up the homemade slime using a DIY recipe, with lots of green food colouring.

“It has to be green, of course,” she said.

The Granite Ridge staffers who will be slimed if NAEC prevails, are the E team; Principle Emily Yanch, teacher Elizabeth Steele-Drew and Adolescent Care worker Emily Mallett.

Emily Yanch is from Flinton, and went to NAEC back in the day where her father was the long time Principle of the school, and many of her friends and relatives have been making donations to the NAEC cause.

“It has been a lot of fun,” Reynolds said of the Slime Challenge, “our schools are similar since we are both K-12 schools and our communities are connected as well, and this really has taken on a life of its own. I can see us doing it again.”

The counting will take place on Friday, final tally will be announced on Monday, May 4th.

The sliming will take place later next week.