A monster truck greeted Manatee students. The surprises didn’t stop there

Hundreds of students endured blistering sunshine and temperatures of nearly 85 degrees for a chance to see something a little different on Wednesday morning.

A monster truck greeted the boys and girls of Palmetto Elementary School as they filed outside to meet its driver, Bryce Kenny, and to accept a donation of $5,000 in school supplies. Great Clips and Monster Jam partnered to support two schools, one in the United States and another in Canada.

“I think in elementary school, the way you start should make a difference on the way you finish that school year as well,” Kenny said.

His truck, the Great Clips Mohawk Warrior, stands 12 feet tall. Its 1,500-horsepower engine can propel the truck to speeds of about 80 mph.

Chaos erupted as Kenny tossed backpacks into a crowd of screaming children, each standing with their arms held high.

The donation — boxes of crayons, backpacks, notebooks and other supplies — will benefit all 730 students at the school, Principal Michelle Mealor said.

She learned of the opportunity after speaking with Feld Entertainment, which is hosting Monster Jam at Amalie Arena, in Tampa, on Aug. 25.

“Our Title I school, the parents have a hard time with school supplies, so this is going to be really good in the fact that we will have school supplies the entire year,” she said.

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 3:45 PM.