LOUDON (WATE) – It was a festive Friday for students and teachers at Eaton Elementary School in Loudon County. They had fun and worked hard, raising funds for technology in the classroom.

Third-graders in Kayla Vaughn’s class at Eaton Elementary got to wear their pajamas to school and bring their favorite stuffed animals. It was all part of a readathon celebration. I was invited to read the classic “The Velveteen Rabbit” to the class. Afterwards, we discussed the book and the differences in technology from when the book was published in 1922.

Students have spent weeks collecting pledges for reading books. The money will help pay for new computers and iPads in the classroom.

“In third and fourth grade, we are currently two-to-one with laptops, so every two children get to share a laptop. And our goal with our readathon, as well as our carnival, is to raise enough money for our third graders to become one-to-one with our third graders so each child will have that resource of one computer that is special to them to be able to use with daily instruction,” said Vaughn.

Getting the students involved in getting tools for the classroom has been an added learning experience for them.

“We really feel like if there’s a way they can take ownership in anything – student learning, bringing in money through pledges. For this readathon, they’re going to work that much harder for it. It’s their education, we want them to value it,” said Principal Ashley Talley.

Teachers and parent volunteers spent the day setting up for Friday night’s carnival with food, games and a silent auction – everything from a gas grill to gift baskets, including a Nintendo system. It’s a fun way to raise even more dollars for laptops and other needs in the classroom. The goal is to raise $60,000 for laptops and other tools for teachers.