Santa Monica, Calif. – Not immune to the memorable awareness the recent ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has brought to the charity, the Grant Elementary School Student Council recently came up with its own spin on the challenge in celebration of the first Spirit Day of the school year.

“Student Council Spirit Day occurs once a month at Grant Elementary and students are encouraged to find innovative ways to give back to the community or on the global scale,” said Principal Wendy Wax Gellis. “This is a prime example of how creative our students are in getting our school community together for causes greater than themselves.”

The Student Council challenged teachers and staff to the Charity Challenge, held at the Grant campus on Friday, Sept. 12 and involved buckets of water, instead of ice. The students told participating teachers and staff that they would be allowed to pledge and donate however much they wished to any charity of their choice.

“Our Student Council recognizes that Grant is made up of givers and we want to show our gratitude and kick-off the year by giving back through this fun challenge,” said Tracy Kooy, fifth-grade teacher and advisor for Student Council.

Once the teachers pick their charity of choice, the list will be posted to the school’s website as a way to motivate parents and other community members to contribute to the charities as well.

“Giving back to the community allows for students to be grateful for what they have while contributing to making their community and world a better place,” said Superintendent Sandra Lyon. “We are very proud of our Student Council at Grant for kicking off their Spirit Day celebrations with a fun way to give back to those in need.”

In an effort to save water during the drought, the water dumped on teachers was taken from the school’s earthquake bin, where school officials had to replace the water as recommended.