by Kate Evans
Morgan County students and their families can get free school supplies at the Friday, August 9 community Back to School Bash.
The annual drive-through event will take place rain or shine from 5-7 p.m. at Warm Springs Intermediate School, located at 575 Warm Springs Way in Berkeley Springs.
The Back to School event provides kids with basic supplies so they are prepared for their first day of school. Supplies are available for all Morgan County pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, including home-schooled children and also Morgan County college students, said organizer Dawn Beal, Morgan County Parks and Recreation Director. 
Free haircuts will be offered from 4 to 6 p.m.
This is the 10th year of the annual Back to School Bash event, which is sponsored by Morgan County Parks and Recreation with financial and volunteer support from various organizations.
Supplies, organizations
Free school items on hand for students will include ink pens, pencils, colored pencils, crayons, erasers, scissors, binders, paper, highlighters, folders, dry erase markers, pencil boxes, notebooks and back packs.
Students get to pick out the colors of supplies that they want. The supplies aren’t just handed to them, Beal said.
Many local organizations and agencies will also have informational handouts and activity bags at the Back to School Bash, said Beal.
Those groups include Morgan County Starting Points, the Morgan County Partnership and the Morgan County West Virginia University Extension Office.
Mythical Pizza will be handing out pizza and Cool 92.9 FM Radio Station will be playing music. Beal hopes the pop-up Farmer’s Market would be back.
Volunteers from Morgan County Schools assist Beal with the event.
Helps families and teachers
Organizers have been spreading the word about the Back to School Bash on Facebook. The event always has a large turnout of kids and families. Last year they provided free school supplies to more than 500 students, Beal said.
The Back to School Bash means financial relief for families as costs for school supplies, food and groceries just keep going up, Beal said.
It’s hard even if families are just buying school supplies for one child, but buying school supplies for multiple kids is really tough, she noted.
Families can get free school supplies at the Back to School Bash. Students will have all the necessary supplies and new supplies to start the school year. It will give kids more confidence to start school, Beal stressed.
The event also takes the financial burden off teachers who try to provide everything for kids that show up for school without any supplies, she said.
Donations
If the public is willing to donate school supplies to the Back to School Bash or want to make financial donations or have any questions or concerns, they can call Dawn Beal at 301-331-8400.
“If we can all work together, we can make this community great. The kids are our future. We have to invest in them,” Beal said.
