Cavan Bower said he thought it would be a good idea to not come to school the day after Halloween.
After all, he and his schoolmates at Calvary Christian School in Kennewick would be up late on Halloween, attending the school's Harvest Carnival before heading out to trick-or-treat.
So the 10-year-old from Pasco told his fellow fourth-grade classmates of his idea to ask for the day off. And it snowballed -- or maybe popcorn-balled -- from there.
"They just grabbed a piece of notebook paper and started writing, and I started writing too," Cavan said.
A persistent petition and letter-writing campaign to Principal Bobi Whinery didn't result in a day off as the students had hoped.
But they didn't come away empty-handed. They'll be the only students at the K-8 school of about 175 students wearing pajamas to school Thursday and starting their day by watching a movie and eating cereal.
Ginny Strickler, the fourth-grade teacher at Calvary Christian, said Cavan first came up with the idea to ask for the day off while she was going around the room Oct. 15 asking what the students were going to pray for during prayer time.
"He said, 'Yeah, I really think we need the day after Halloween off. I think we should really pray to ask for the day off,' " Strickler said, laughing.
Cavan's teacher told him Halloween came in the middle of the week this year, and they were scheduled to be in school the day after, but that didn't deter him. He teamed up with his 16 classmates -- including 10-year-old Alex Wright of Finley -- and drafted a petition and letters to Whinery to convince her.
"Why don't (we) have Halloween on a weekend," one student wrote.
Whinery found the stack of petitions and letters from her students waiting on her desk Oct. 16, and their effort made an impression.
"I thought it was the cutest thing I'd ever seen," Whinery told the Herald.
Whinery and Strickler said it was highly unlikely the students would get the day off. All students in Washington are required to attend school a specific number of days. Giving the students the day off would have required them losing a day off around Christmas or during another planned break. But she sent a letter back to the students.
"Your request is in consideration, but I need a little more information before the Day Off Committee can make a decision!" she replied.
The students were so motivated by Whinery's letter that Strickler abandoned her plan to teach about transition words Oct. 17 and opted to help her students with persuasive letters.
"Here are three reasons," Cavan wrote in the letter. "We will get hyper, (crazy), talk and get in (trouble). We will get (tired too). We will want to sleep at school. We might barf as well (from) the candy and (even) get a sugar coma."
Whinery's reward to the fourth-graders been followed by similar pleas from other students -- including her son, an eighth-grader at Calvary Christian.
"I told him 'I didn't get a letter from you, I don't know what to tell you,'" she said.
Even though the fourth-graders didn't get what they wanted, they came away with a lesson from their campaign, they said.
"We should do it more often," said 10-year-old Mariah Speights of Benton City.
On Tuesday, Whinery found a letter on her desk from the fourth-graders asking for St. Patrick's Day off.
"I said, 'No,' " she said, laughing.
-- Ty Beaver: 582-1402; tbeaver@tricityherald.com ___
(c)2012 Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.)
Visit Tri-City Herald (Kennewick, Wash.) at www.tri-cityherald.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.