For the 20th year, Perry’s Academic, Cultural, and Enrichment Services (PACES) program joined the nationwide effort to celebrate before and after school programming, hosting their annual “Lights On After School” event Thursday evening.

The celebration was held in the Perry Elementary multipurpose room and was led by PACES Director Mary Hillman. She welcomed guest speakers including Perry Mayor John Andorf and Superintendent Clark Wicks, and also explained the history of the program. The evening then moved onto the talent show, with each grade level, pre-kindergarten through 5th grade, performing a dance for those assembled. Hillman then gave special recognition certificates to the many partners PACES has had over the years, ranging from Dallas County Conservation to the Perry Public Library to the United Way.

She was then joined by Site Coordinator Lila Modlin and presented awards for the pre-kindergarten through 2nd grade light bulb coloring contests, the 3rd grade poster competition, and the 4th and 5th grade essay contest. The evening concluded with a community dinner for attendees. Hillman emphasized the importance of before and after school programs like PACES, particularly in this day and age. “I believe in my heart of hearts that every school needs this program, and working families need the support in today’s world that can be very complex. And so we’re really glad to serve our families.”

The “Lights On After School” celebration wrapped up two-days of activities, which also included the annual Pledges for PACES walk Wednesday afternoon.