Submitted photo Remix Education performs recently at Harman School. Inside the smaller dinosaur mascot outfit is Randolph County Sheriff Rob Elbon’s son, Zayne.

Submitted photo
Remix Education performs recently at Harman School. Inside the smaller dinosaur mascot outfit is Randolph County Sheriff Rob Elbon’s son, Zayne.

ELKINS — Rob Elbon was sworn in as Randolph County sheriff in January, but it was before he was elected sheriff and serving as a magistrate when he came up with the idea of bringing in a group of educators to teach children valuable lessons that would help them in their everyday lives.

During a church function Elbon was attending, he saw a group called Remix Education perform in front of a gathering of youngsters. He was so impressed with the way the program influenced and taught children valuable lessons about drugs, alcohol and bullying that he approached them about appearing at some of the elementary schools in the county.

“When I was in the magistrates’ office I noticed all the cases coming in that affected kids in a variety of different ways,” Elbon told The Inter-Mountain. “That made me realize there was a need to educate the kids, because a lot of them don’t have that support system at home.

“(Children) are seeing these things happen and it’s almost becoming a norm to them. So I wanted to find a way to promote the message of anti-drug, anti-alcohol and anti-bullying. Just so the kids know there are alternatives and support systems out there for the ones that need help. So when I saw the guys from Remix Education I thought it would be a perfect way to educate the kids.”

Elbon and Remix Education came up with a plan to do shows at some of the grade schools. Elbon and his wife Katina decided to be the sponsors of the events through her business, Mountaineer Home Care Services. Each show costs the couple about $850.

“The lord has blessed us so we are trying to share and bless other people if we can,” Elbon said. “And we think our kids are worth investing in, so for me and my wife, it was really a no-brainer to sponsor these shows. Katina has really been on board with it from the start and she’s been the driving force of it.”

This year marks the fourth year that the group has come to the area to perform. Remix Education’s mission is to facilitate learning and create positive behavior by partnering with schools to teach kids through the use of high-energy mascots.

The main character of the show is Jiggy, a big green dinosaur mascot, who has been known to throw a pie at the face of a teacher or principal. During this year’s elementary school stops, which included North School, George Ward, Coalton and Harman, Jiggy had a smaller identical sidekick performing with him named Little Jiggy, who was portrayed by Elbon’s youngest son, Zayne.

“Over the last four years we’ve basically hit every elementary school in the county,” Elbon said. “We started out doing two schools the first year, then ever since we’ve done four schools a year.

“The schools we hit this year were scheduled for last year, but because of COVID we had to cancel them. So we targeted those schools we missed last year and so far it has worked out really well. The school system has been great to work with and the teachers and principals have been very welcoming and supportive.”

Remix Education is based in Lexington, Kentucky and run by Matt Hogg, who is the program’s co-founder and CEO. Hogg is a former mascot for the NBA’s Washington Wizards.