The first-ever Montague Market was perfect for bargain hunters seeking a little bit of everything, from baby gear and tutus to adult clothing and musical instruments. The face painting, miniature cupcakes, and lemonade stand added a kid-friendly vibe to the event, held at Montague Elementary School on March 15.
“The money raised today is going toward student field trips,” says Lorrie Wernick, principal of Montague Elementary School. “Our second graders are going to Natural Bridges and the bus fare is quite expensive. Our fourth grade wants to go on a field trip to Sacramento’s Railroad Museum, State Capitol Building, and Sutter’s Fort.”
“We want the Montague Market to bring the community together,” adds Katie Lippold, the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA) president and event organizer. “We live in an ethnically diverse area. So we want to share our cultures, clean out our closets, and give people a chance to meet their neighbors.”
Lippold shares that 19 people purchased booths at $15 per booth, with funds raised from booth purchases going to the school. The sales stall buyers made were 100 percent theirs to keep, although donations were welcome.
“This is a grassroots, down home kind of event; planning for this required volunteer help and getting the word out,” Lippold says. “We’ve got food vendors and swap meet sort of items, like toys, books, and electronics. We have a booth of ladies selling samosas. One person is hosting a booth to sell new Barbie dolls. We have a crafts lady selling girls’ accessories. My daughter, Bailey, [made] Meyer lemonade from our fruit tree, and she [baked] her famous ‘heavenly bites’ cupcakes.”
Montague Elementary School’s first PTSA hosted the successful Montague Market. According to Lippold, there hasn’t been a PTA organization at this school since the early 2000s, and there has never been a PTSA here until recently. Montague parents wanted student involvement in the organization, and hence, the PTSA was formed.
“It has been a lifelong dream for me to be a part of my child’s development and nurturing,” Lippold says. “Every district has mentors within them, and I couldn’t even begin to say how wonderful Linda Pfeiffer and Mary Garrett have been. Linda has been our mentor for everything we’ve done and Mary, a teacher, rallies the parents. [It’s important for a school to have a PTSA] to support the children so they can learn and live by example.”
“I want the community to recognize what a great school we are, and to become involved and partner with us in educating the children,” Wernick says.
Wernick was the principal of a number of schools before serving her first year as the new principal of Montague Elementary School in 2013.
