On Thursday, March 12 over 100 Banfield Elementary fourth graders had their hearts broken when their field trip, a special overnight all-access visit to the Minnesota Science Museum in St. Paul, was suddenly canceled at the last moment because of the current Corona Virus situation.  There were many tears, as you can imagine.

The fourth grade teachers were left scrambling to find an alternative. It was a long-shot, but we decided to try for an off hours trip to the movies. Before the end of the school day, we had our answer.

Ms. Lori, the general manager at Cinemagic 7 Theaters here in Austin, stepped up to help the kids. Before the children left for the day we were able to share with them that we were in fact having a trip after all.

We are certain that this created a very long day for Ms. Lori, as she came in several hours before the theatre was set to open. As we walked in at 9:30 a.m., she was 100 percent ready for the kids with over 100 individual pops and boxes of popcorn so each child could have their own.  Many of our students were attending the movies at the theatre for the first time in their lives.  The joy on their faces and the wild applause at the end of the film told the rest of the story.

Thank you, Ms. Lori for stepping up for our kids! The helping community spirit is alive and well in you, and in the city of Austin!

Sincerely,

The Banfield Fourth Grade Team:

Mr. Braaten, Mrs. Owens, Mrs. Wilson, and Mrs. Wiste