FERRIDAY, La. – On Friday afternoon, a group of Huntington School eighth-graders were working fast and furiously to paint cups to sell to benefit the Ferriday private school.

But first, they had to get there.

At 3:30 p.m., Amber McGlothin and friends spent several minutes trying to start Amber’s four-wheeler in front of her house. &uot;It’s just old,&uot;&160;explained friend Katelyn Hosey.

A short ride later, they were in the kindergarten wing of the school, using paint markers to decorate plastic stadium cups with the words &uot;Spring Fling 2001&uot;&160;and &uot;HHS.&uot;

Those painting the cups included McGlothin, Hosey, Brittany Keahey, Emily Anders, Brittany Thompson and Kasey Hammond. They finished their creations with multi-colored designs ranging from flowers to snails, then sat back to judge their work with an objective eye.

&uot;That’s ugly,&uot; said one girl, holding her creation at arm’s length and squinting her eyes.

&uot;No, it’s not,&uot;&160;a friend said approvingly.

The cups were to be sold Saturday at the Spring Fling, an annual fund raiser for Huntington School that features games, food, crafts and other family activities.

The cups cost $1.50, or $2 if the cup was personalized with someone’s name.

The girls — a group of cheerleaders, drill team members and their friends — would work a booth from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Spring Fling, selling and personalizing the cups. It is not the first time the girls have worked on crafts to sell at the Spring Fling.

&uot;Last year, we sold bunnies made out of rags,&uot; Keahey said.

&uot;The year before that, we sold plastic visors,&uot; someone else chimed in, holding her cup at eye level for inspection.

The Dart is a weekly feature in which a reporter throws a dart at a map and finds a story where it lands.