Dressed as 100-year-olds, kindergartners at Mandalay Elementary School marked the 100th day of the year with creativity and excitement on Feb. 12. Youngsters in three classes celebrated how far they’ve come since the first day of school. 

The milestone was filled with smiles, hands-on activities and plenty of reminders that 100 days of learning is something to cheer about. Family members volunteered to help out with stations that included stacking 100 cups, making gumball machines with 100 dots, rolling dice to reach 100 and decorating special crowns. 

All year, students had been anticipating this moment, counting straws each day, which were then bundled by tens. Teachers read stories aloud including “100th Day Worries” and “Fancy Nancy: The 100th Day of School.” Students practiced counting to the triple-digit number by ones and tens. They also wrote about what they would do with $100.

At home, students gathered up 100 of a specific item to fill a clear plastic bag. Then at school, they analyzed the different objects to compare the size and weight in a math measuring activity.