Buerkle Students Show Off Talent

Students and teachers had their own show and tell at the second annual Buerkle Shows Off event at the Margaret Buerkle Middle School.

The annual event, held Thursday evening, brought more than 100 guests to the middle school to take a sneak peek at what students were working on.

From 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. students, parents, teachers and community members roamed the halls of Buerkle middle school, munching on pancakes and checking out dozens of displays showcasing student projects.

The event might be celebrating its second birthday but it actually goes way back, according to Lynn Ruder, a teacher at the school.

Ruder has been teaching at Margaret Buerkle Middle School since 1993 and says the event is much older than two years old. The event began many years ago after several teachers outside performance arts wanted a way to show off their work.

“Art teachers and choir teachers had shows, but the shop teachers didn’t have a chance to show off,” Ruder said.

As it turned out, all teachers wanted to get involved, so Buerkle Shows Off was borne.

“And that’s exactly what it is,” Ruder said, the school is showing off.

The first year the school opened its doors for an evening of show and tell the sky opened up and it poured. Ruder remembered worrying no one would show up due to the weather. But to everyone’s surprise, more than 600 people crowded into the school’s hallways.

The event was so popular that it lasted for seven to eight years before fizzling out, Ruder said.

Then last year in an effort to get the community more involved in the school, Buerkle Shows Off was rekindled.  

After two years of successful showings, the school is now looking to expand the event—maybe open it up to fifth graders and people without kids in the school.

Ruder is even tossing around the idea of bringing in brats and hot dogs to accompany the Chris Cakes.