Council Schools PTO Holds First Art Walk
On Tuesday, April 14, The Council PTO held their first Art Walk. The Art Walk was a fundraiser to raise money for the new art program that the PTO started this year at Council Elementary School. The event was wildly successful and extremely well attended, it seemed almost every student from Council elementary came at some point throughout the evening with their parents in tow to show off their artwork.
The art program started in December of 2025 and over the course of the year the students participated in three different projects based on famous paintings. They completed works in the style of “The Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh, “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dali, and Pablo Picasso’s Faces. The PTO funded the Art Program and hoped to raise funds enough during the Art Walk to continue the program next year.
They didn’t quite meet that goal, however, PTO President Jen Hamaker was very pleased with the event’s turnout and said she considered it very successful. The PTO did raise over $675 during the Art Walk through donations and raffle tickets. They would like to increase that number and are still collecting donations and selling raffle tickets. First prize for the raffle is two tickets for a day trip down the Salmon River, including lunch, with Mountain River Outfitters, second prize is a $70 gift card for Mountain Monet in McCall. Tickets are $5 each or 5 for $20 and are available at the post office, M&W, U.S. Bank, and Council Mountain Coffee. They will draw the winner on April 7 at Muffins With Mom, a community outreach event the PTO is also putting on.
The Council PTO is amping up activity and participation this year. In addition to the Art Walk they are also hosting the Muffins with Mom (May 7) and Doughnuts with Dad (April 30) still upcoming this year, as well as helping out with the Talent Show, with will take place on Thursday April 23, at 6:00 p.m. at the Council High School Auditorium and is a fundraiser for the schools music program. Next year they are planning on promoting the PTO in the High School and Jr High more since they started to encompass both this year. PTO president Jen Hamaker said they are thinking of doing a big open house in the fall to help draw more people in.
The Council PTO certainly outdid themselves with the Art Walk. They created an art program that the students loved and an event with an amazing turnout. “This was truly a year of really digging deep.” Said Jen Hamaker, “The PTO parents that showed up every single time and dedicated their time and energy to enriching the students’ lives. It’s a big deal.”
