SCHOOL CHILDREN CELEBRATE `CENTENNIAL'

Left: Barbara Gillard made a graft out of trail mix.

The kindergarten class used preparation for snack time to learn to count to 100 in tens.

Kindergarten students at Jackson's Primary Annex School last week celebrated the closest thing they know to a centennial -- the 100th day of school.

With the start of school last fall, the 300 students at Primary Annex's six kindergarten classes began counting each day that school was in session by marking the days off on a graph -- one mark for each day. Every fifth and tenth day was underlined. The count culminated last Tuesday with the 100th day celebration.

"This helps teach the kids how to count to 100 by ones, fives and tens," said kindergarten teacher Susan Statler.

During the day, students munched on 100 Fruit Loops, 100 raisins or some other snack, all counted out by the hundred.

In order to further emphasize the "100" theme, students were encouraged to bring 100 pieces of their favorite collection.

One student brought a wreath of 100 pine cones, another brought a birthday cake festooned with 100 candles. An artistic student came to school with a dinosaur mural which employed 100 buttons.

Statler says the count doesn't end with the 100th day celebration. Students will continue to mark the days until they reach the biggest celebration of all, day 176, when the school term ends for the summer.