MONROE — The Monroe Noon Optimist project, End of Year Elementary Treat Day 2024, was held May 10, 13, 29 and 30 at the schools. Each day was a different elementary school in Monroe.

Teri Ellefson is the chairperson. Members participating were Laurie Knoke, Diane Phillips, Karen Boll, Jean Sinkule, Kristine Hartwig, Teri Ellefson, Marlene Bergemann, Toni Voegeli and Ann Wells.

The End of Year Elementary Treat Day was “an amazing and fulling project,” Ellefson said in a press release. 

“Our Noon Optimist group went into each of the four elementary schools in Monroe. We wanted to highlight the challenging work this past school year by all our elementary schools, staff, and students,” she said. 

In total, there was 2,950 staff and students that they were able to share an ice cream treat and a smile with while telling them “excellent job this year.” 

“We collaborated with each school’s principal to set up a time during a recess, a lunch time or during a special school time. The smiles, Thank You cards giving to us by students coming through the line, to all the loud ‘Thank you’s’ from the sweet little kids as they made their particularly important pick of ice cream” made it worth the effort, Ellefson said.