Newton Elementary aims to raise money by selling Henderson-based Monopoly game

To help struggling students, this school is giving Monopoly a chance. Rather, Hendersonopoly.

Newton Elementary School, 571 Greenway Road, is creating a hyperlocal version of the popular board game using Henderson businesses, officials and patrons to fill its board.

Baltic Avenue, Reading Railroad, Park Place and Boardwalk have been replaced with the likes of Bonnie's Floral Boutique, the Law Office of David H. Benavidez, The District at Green Valley Ranch, Henderson Harley-
Davidson, the Galleria at Sunset, Mayor Andy Hafen and others.

The school is selling board spaces and naming opportunities for just about everything in the game, right down to the money. Dr. Kent Marshall, a local chiropractor, will grace the $5 bills.

Dozens of spaces and sponsorship opportunities are still available. Prices range from $50 to $1,000, depending on the location on the board, money denomination and so on. Businesses can have their logo, address, website and phone number included.

For more information, email Newton first-grade teacher Melinda Dean at melindadean@cox.net.

Dean, who has taught at the school since it opened in 1992, is heading the project. She already had some experience with this game.

Newton's PTA used the idea as a fundraiser in 1996 and created the Game of Henderson. It was a similar game just without the "opoly" name.

Dean has the 1996 edition in mint condition in her home. The 2012 edition is being created in part, Dean said, to celebrate the school's 20th anniversary.

But the real reason is for the kids.

Last semester the school licensed a computer reading program called Fast ForWord that helps students at low reading levels catch up. Dean and her principal, Gwen Gibson, said it worked so well, they felt they had to bring it back for the 2012-13 school year.

Gibson told of a particular first-grader learning English as a second language who could not read at her grade level. At the end of the spring semester and after a little more than two months in the program, the girl was not only at the second-grade level she should be but about four months ahead.

"We just had tears brought to our eyes," Gibson said. "She was raising her hand and reading the text aloud with complete fluency."

Gibson said about 75 percent of the more than 120 students who used the program improved by at least six months in less than three.

Licensing for the software is about $4,700, and the school has a grant to pay for that. The school is hoping the Hendersonopoly money will cover the $20,000 or more it will cost for a long-term substitute to run the computer lab and the Fast ForWord program.

"With the funding the way it is right now ... and lack of it, we knew we had to come up with revenue somehow," Dean said. "The reading program has been a tremendous help for so many of our students."

The school is accepting pre-orders for the board game for $20 before Oct. 25. After that, the game will sell for $25 at the school and at a kiosk at the Galleria at Sunset mall, 1300 W. Sunset Road. A limited number of 2,500 or fewer Hendersonopoly games will be created by Pride Distributors Inc.

For more information, email Dean, call 799-0500 or visit schools.ccsd.net/newton.

Contact View education reporter Jeff Mosier at jmosier@viewnews.com or 224-5524.