Nearly 30 students from Eagle View Elementary arrived at school in four-alarm style Wednesday, Feb. 26, and Wednesday, March 4, courtesy of the Elko New Market Fire and Police departments. The rides were prizes in the school’s February Read-aThon fundraiser.
“They loved it. They had fun,” said Eagle View Elementary Principal Adam Dittberner about the students’ rides. The trips from the fire and police departments to the school were among a number of incentives the school offered to students during the read-a-thon, Dittberner said.
Between Feb. 11 and Feb. 20, the students read to raise money helping pay for field trips, a science assembly in May, a family fun night, improvements to the school and visits by guests, Dittberner said, adding students raised $38,000. He noted students read a total of 124,000 minutes. Besides riding to school in police cars and fire trucks, students chose books, fast passes and coupons for prizes, Dittberner said, adding some were awarded with a visit with author John Coy, who has written several children’s books.
“This was the second year the fire department participated in fire truck rides to school,” said Jodi Muelken, president of the fire department’s Fire Relief Association. “When they planned their February read-a-thon fundraiser this year, they reached out to see if we would be willing to do it again of course we were excited to.”
The fire department coordinated with the police department as to how many...
To see more on this story pick up the March 5, 2026 print edition of The New Prague Times.