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A surprise flash mob for Principal Jon Vranesh and a day of "Fun Runs" May 4 raised more than $60,000 in donations at Walnut Grove Elementary school in Pleasanton, it was reported Friday.

The second annual Fun Run started with the flash mob dance by all students as Michael Jackson's song, "Thriller", aired over the school's loudspeakers. With hundreds of parents watching, the children, from kindergartners to fifth grade students, started by lying down on the playground instead of heading out to their marked running courses, as scheduled.

As the music began, they began the synchronized dance that they had been secretly practicing for months as a salute to Vranesh, a former vice principal at Foothill High School who is completing his first year as principal at Walnut Grove. From there, they moved on to the Fun Run.

Unlike many fundraisers for Pleasanton schools, which have become vital during the school district's budget crunch, the Walnut Grove event makes the students an integral part of the effort by soliciting pledges for per-lap donations from parents and friends.

Pleasanton Weekly staff.

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