B-I-N-G-O at Our Lady of Perpetual Help School

Students, staff, parents and community members alike recently turned out in full force at the School’s gymnasium for a night of family-friendly fun.

They laughed and screamed with excitement as they listened to Lawrence Neves, one of the school’s dedicated parents, call out the corresponding letters and numbers.

The gymnasium was filled with shouts and cheers as attendees checked the boxes off their cards. For only $5, one received five cards good for three games each. The winning players went home with themed baskets–movie night, cooking in the kitchen and South of the Border to name a few–which were donated specifically for this event.

Children and parents alike helped bring the winning tickets to the front, and passed out the gifts to the winners.

Family Bingo Night, like many other of the monthly events open to all ages and to the entire community, is organized by the school’s Parents’ Association (PA) - which has been a part of the school for more than 25 years.

However, this is not the only event OLPH School or the PA hosts.

According to Gloria Schmitt, who’s been the president of the PA for three years, there are events held each month. For instance, in addition to the bingo night, there are movie nights complete with popcorn where a family can enjoy a G-rated movie together.

Other events include craft fairs, candy sales, Christmas wrapping paper sales and an outdoor picnic, and all are coordinated yearly with volunteers trained in Virtus, a program that teaches them how to recognize the signs and symptoms of abuse and how to act to keep children safe.

And every November an American Girl fashion show transforms the gymnasium back in time. Young ladies, ages four to thirteen from the school and the Lindenhurst community, model the fashions while their relatives narrate for the audience.

All of these events are for a good cause, Schmitt said.

“It’s all about bringing the people together, but it’s also about raising money for the school," she said.  "It keeps the costs down for the education and helps balance the budget at a time when people don’t have extra money."

For Principal Carmela Lubrano, the best part of these events is bringing the family together with the community.

“The greatest part is everyone feels like they have input, because they’re participating and contributing to the school," Lubrano said. "Everyone feels they have an investment here, and we like to keep them involved."

The children are equally excited about the events. As witness to this, Bingo Night-goers Emily Neves and Gabriella Giordano claimed their favorite part was “hearing the children laugh and play.”

May 27 marks the PA’s annual walk-a-thon/play-a-thon day, which was explained by Schmitt as a day of fun for the children. There will also be a Scholastic Book Fair held very soon. And Principal Lubrano further intimated there’s a project in the works that will welcome community involvement, as well.

For more information about the school - which has been in the heart of Lindenhurst since 1913 while the church has been in existence for 140 years this year - and its upcoming events, visit OLPH School online or call 631-226-0208.