There was a food court, bubble station, fish corner, cupcake walk, Wii, face painting and more when a special kind of carnival came to Cardozo Middle School on Wednesday, July 28. The carnival was held for first and second graders in the Summer Action Program and was put on by the older students in fifth through 12th grades.
Program leader Bianca Lopez reported that the Summer Action Program is serving approximately 500 first through 12th grade Riverbank students this year, with approximately 120 of them being the first and second graders. Lopez said that this is the first year that the action program has included all the Riverbank students because all the schools are now on traditional schedule, whereas in the past, some students were on "track" during the summer.
The older students in the program were scheduled to go to an area fun park for a day, but the first and second graders were unable to attend. Lopez said that the older students were given the task to organize a carnival that was geared toward the little ones. She said it also provided the older students with new skills as they learned how to put on an event. They sent out donation letters, came up with ideas for games and stations, staffed and organized the games, and more.
Lopez reported that there were many in-kind donations from the community that made the carnival possible such as food, prizes, and game supplies, as well as help from parents.
Fifth grader Jesus Aguiniga was in charge of keeping the bubble station going, showing how to operate the different wands and keeping the soapy reservoirs full. The station was a very popular stop.
"I have to entertain the kids," Aguiniga said. "I have to blow those bubbles and make them look cool so all the little kids will come and blow the bubbles. At first, all the kids came to the bubble stand and there were so many bubbles, I couldn't do anything. At first, this was the most popular stand."
Tenth grader Javier Reyes served as the deejay for the event. He kept the music going and kept things interesting on the microphone. He also hosted a game of "pin the ball on the circus seal's nose" where he put blindfolds on the kids and spun them in a circle before they tried their luck.
"It was a pretty fun experience," Aguiniga said, adding that it made him feel "great" to help be part of the carnival for the young students because they couldn't go to the fun park.
Older students also staffed the food court where they served up goodies to the youngsters that included churros, sno-cones, popcorn, as well as lemonade and horchata for refreshment.
The carnival was one of the final activities of the summer program, with the start of the new school year just around the corner for Riverbank students.
Program leader Bianca Lopez reported that the Summer Action Program is serving approximately 500 first through 12th grade Riverbank students this year, with approximately 120 of them being the first and second graders. Lopez said that this is the first year that the action program has included all the Riverbank students because all the schools are now on traditional schedule, whereas in the past, some students were on "track" during the summer.
The older students in the program were scheduled to go to an area fun park for a day, but the first and second graders were unable to attend. Lopez said that the older students were given the task to organize a carnival that was geared toward the little ones. She said it also provided the older students with new skills as they learned how to put on an event. They sent out donation letters, came up with ideas for games and stations, staffed and organized the games, and more.
Lopez reported that there were many in-kind donations from the community that made the carnival possible such as food, prizes, and game supplies, as well as help from parents.
Fifth grader Jesus Aguiniga was in charge of keeping the bubble station going, showing how to operate the different wands and keeping the soapy reservoirs full. The station was a very popular stop.
"I have to entertain the kids," Aguiniga said. "I have to blow those bubbles and make them look cool so all the little kids will come and blow the bubbles. At first, all the kids came to the bubble stand and there were so many bubbles, I couldn't do anything. At first, this was the most popular stand."
Tenth grader Javier Reyes served as the deejay for the event. He kept the music going and kept things interesting on the microphone. He also hosted a game of "pin the ball on the circus seal's nose" where he put blindfolds on the kids and spun them in a circle before they tried their luck.
"It was a pretty fun experience," Aguiniga said, adding that it made him feel "great" to help be part of the carnival for the young students because they couldn't go to the fun park.
Older students also staffed the food court where they served up goodies to the youngsters that included churros, sno-cones, popcorn, as well as lemonade and horchata for refreshment.
The carnival was one of the final activities of the summer program, with the start of the new school year just around the corner for Riverbank students.
