A row of colorful cardboard food stands at Gorman-Rupp offers lunch items to Sherman Elementary School’s students of the month.
“Is anyone hungry?” asked Gorman-Rupp’s Brian Judd. The resounding response from a group of Sherman Elementary School students: “Yeeessss!”
Lunch came with a math lesson at Gorman-Rupp Thursday as the plant at 600 S. Airport Road hosted its final meal of the school year for Sherman’s students of the month.
“We thought we would do something a little different this time,” said Cindy Roseberry, who heads the company’s Sherman tutoring and support program. “Each student had $5 in Junior Achievement (play) money at their place setting to use in purchasing their lunch. They had to figure how they wanted to spend their money.”
Nearby were four connected cardboard food stands, each staffed by a Gorman-Rupp employee. The first offered pizza for $2, the others juice, chips and ice cream for $1 each. Bananas were free.
“Don’t forget to save a dollar for ice cream for a second trip,” Roseberry cautioned.
Students whose appetites exceeded $5 could earn extra money by throwing away their trash and keeping their table clean.
Sherman Assistant Principal Karly Watterson was among staff members who accompanied the students, selected by their teachers in kindergarten through third grade as students of the month.
“Gorman-Rupp always does such a nice job for our students,” Watterson said. “In addition to these monthly lunches, a group of their employees gives up their lunch period to come to Sherman weekly to tutor second- and third-graders in reading and writing.”
Judd coordinated the Gorman-Rupp volunteer program before handing it off to Roseberry. The company provided support to Newman Elementary School before it closed in 2014. Since then the company’s efforts have centered in Sherman.
“Several of our employees volunteer their time for tutoring and many were involved in making today’s lunch a success,”Roseberry said. “I think the kids enjoyed it.”