A school staff member at Windermere Elementary School announced that families who participated in the Ellington Unplugged challenge returned their logs this week and that the first-place family will receive a three-month membership to the Indian Valley YMCA.

The staff member said the challenge was intended to promote unplugged time for students and to build stronger connections between the school and parents. "We really wanted to bring the Ellington Unplugged tenants to our families through this challenge. We created logs," the staff member said.

Families collected and returned paper logs; the staff member noted that the returned log for the announced winner was "24 by 24." The school did not specify what the "24 by 24" measurement represents beyond the language used during the announcement.

School staff said they reached out to community organizations to provide prizes that align with the initiative’s goals. The staff member listed partners as Ellington Youth and Family Services, Indian Valley YMCA, American Karate Studio, Foster Farm giveaway, Lou Anne's, Rotter Roll, and Sonny's Place.

Speaking about their reasons for working in school leadership, a staff member said they had a difficult experience in school and were influenced by teachers who helped them connect: "I had a hard time in school, and I had great teachers who got me connected, and I wanted to be a part of those conversations for kids, and I wanted to take down barriers for teachers so that they can do what they love and that they're able to connect with kids who are probably like" (remarks as recorded in the meeting).

The morning assembly included a student recitation of the Windermere pledge. That ceremonial recitation was not part of the Ellington Unplugged announcement and was not covered as a substantive item.

School staff did not provide additional details on how many families participated districtwide, how prizes were awarded if multiple families met participation thresholds, or any follow-up dates for future challenges.