The Gateway Polytechnic Academy recently held its annual Aviator Dash run, the school's biggest fundraising event of the year. And, boy, did the school deliver.

The goal of the fundraiser is to raise $80,000 to benefit students, staff and the school. Thanks to the support of the community and the dedication of parents and guardians, GPA exceeded expectations by raising more than $100,000.

The funds will be distributed to a school playground shade structure, banners along the portable area, field trips, teacher grants and PTO community events, according to a district press release.

For hitting the $80,000 goal, students got to watch as their principal, Jeff Markle, kissed a goat. Reaching $90,000 was celebrated with a magic show from Magic by Robbie. For reaching $100,000, GPA held a family movie night. 

Kelli Gordon’s first-grade class raised the most money overall, and each student stated how good it felt to help out their school. The students agreed that running was the highlight of the Aviator Dash. One student said their favorite part of the fundraiser was seeing their mom and dad cheer them on.

These first graders also stated how they were excited about where the funds were going, especially the playground.

When one student was asked why raising money for GPA was important and stated, “So we can do fun things for our school,” according to the release.

The top-earning class also received a pizza party on top of all the other prizes, which was definitely a source of excitement for Gordon’s students.