WESTMINSTER — Regular Thursday Night Bingo is returning to Bellows Falls, thanks to the fundraising efforts of Compass School's 11th grade class.
Every year, Compass 11th-graders participate in an international trip to a Spanish speaking country in the developing world. Compass is committed to ensuring every student can go on this trip, regardless of family income.
With more than 50 percent of Compass students eligible for free and reduced lunch, fundraising is essential.
Compass School hosted Thursday night bingo at the school last year with great success. The schedule for Bingo this year will be the last Thursday of the month, with the next event scheduled for Nov. 29, starting at 6 p.m.
The general public is invited, with all bingo supplies provided along with baked goods and refreshments for sale. Bingo cards will be sold for 50 cents per game, and cash prizes will be awarded for every game.
Bingo night revives the early days of the Compass building when it was an Elks Club hosting high stakes bingo for busloads of players coming up from Connecticut. A regular Thursday night bingo game continued in Bellows Falls for some years thereafter.
The 11th graders are hoping Thursday night bingo will be a way to bring the wider community into the school for a fun, shared evening each month. There will be no bingo in December, and the other dates for bingo are Jan. 31, Feb. 28, March 28, April 25 and May 30.
All proceeds of the evening will benefit the Compass junior class Global Connections trip. The Global Connections Program focuses on cultural immersion and international understanding. It is an integral part of the junior class curriculum, inspiring students to broaden their horizons as global citizens.
The Global Connections Program began in 2003 and since then Compass has had over 160 participants travel to locations including the Mexico/Arizona border, India, Nicaragua, Ecuador, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Cuba.