OSCEOLA MIDDLE SCHOOL HELD A TALENT SHOW - "OSCEOLA IDOL"

AND A 3 - DAY PENNY WAR TO BENEFIT BIG LAKE HOSPICE

Tuesday, May 28 th was a special day for Osceola Middle School students and faculty, as well as for Big Lake Hospice. The pride and compassion of the principal, Mrs. Bass and teacher, Mary Kneidel couldn't be missed as we waited outside the school for each of the ten finalists from the Talent Show - "Osceola Idol" to arrive for their "gift of generosity" to be presented to the staff of Big Lake Hospice, Patty Maupin - Manager and Debi Caldwell, RN. Many smiles were given as a check for $1,906.15 was presented to Big Lake Hospice staff members! Big Lake Hospice also presented a plaque to Osceola Idol winner, Judd Harris in appreciation for their generous gift.

Mary Kneidel, teacher at Osceola Middle said, "It was a lot of work, but it was fun!" The Talent Show called Osceola Idol was organized similarly to the American Idol TV show. Forty kids tried out at Osceola Middle School and ten acts went to the finals on April 29 th. Judd Harris was named as the Osceola Idol winner and was awarded an IPOD Touch. The runner up was Jozel Alfaro. Congratulations to both Judd and Jozel! Rumor has it even some of the faculty members performed.

In addition to the Talent Show, a 3- day Penny War was organized by Mary Kneidel. There are 6 teams on campus at Osceola Middle and a jug for each team was set out at the lunch period for students to place their spare change in. Any dollar bills put in a jug would cancel out the change and sabotage that particular team's chance of winning. After the 3 - Penny War came to an end the final tally revealed the winner...the 6 th Grade Eagles Team! The Eagles were rewarded with pizza, cupcakes and soda.

Big Lake Hospice truly appreciates the generosity of the students and faculty at Osceola Middle School for their wonderful gift. These funds will be used to benefit patient care in our hometown, Okeechobee. Thank you from all the staff and volunteers at Big Lake Hospice.

Big Lake Hospice offers many programs and services for those with a life-limiting or life-threatening illness and support for the whole family. Our services are provided wherever the patient calls home and our doctor even makes house calls. For more information about Big Lake Hospice give us a call at 863-763-0707 or stop by our office at 3543 Highway 441 South and speak with us about your needs. You can also learn more about Big Lake Hospice on the web at www.biglakehospice.org.