The sounds of laughter echoed through the halls of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys School at its annual Penny Carnival as parents chased their children from one fun activity to another.
In support of the Parents Advisory Council (PAC) and student programming at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys School, between 200 and 250 families and children enjoyed an evening of dunk tank, sumo wrestling, dancing, and gymnasium games on May 15.
Funds raised by the Penny Carnival are designated to go to the PAC (bottle drive), school programs, such as the library and school resources with a percentage going towards the joint playground with École John Wilson Elementary School.
“We had a really good turnout,” said Teresa Henry, secretary and educational assistant at St. Marguerite Bourgeoys. “All our families enjoyed themselves.”
The gymnasium was home to “flukie ball”, a 50-foot-long tug-of-war rope, a fishing hole built from the storage room, a nail painting booth “girled” by students, and Grade 8 teacher John Groenen played the part of floor hockey goalie with students taking shots on him.
Outside on the school grounds, the dunk tank gathered an enthusiastic crowd of young students waiting to drench principal Ryan Sawula and vice-principal Kelly Jacobson time and time again.
Sawula, dressed in shorts, a Batman T-shirt, leggings, skullcap, swimming goggles and diving snorkels, eagerly stepped onto the dunk tank seat to take “one” for the school. Student after student hit the small target and the popular principal hit the tank time and time again.
“The first time I hit the water it was a shock,” said Sawula. “But it was a lot of fun. No matter how prepared you are for the tank, water still gets up your nose.”
Vice-principal Kelly Jacobson egged the students on while he was on the cold seat.
“Come on, you can dunk me,” said Jacobson to the elementary students. “You missed, give it another shot!”
Like Sawula, he received his share of dunks yet was a willing participant as the lineup to dunk the two men rarely decreased.
Meanwhile, in the sumo room, students suited up in the well-padded two-piece suits that had students battling in a best-of-three match in one of the classrooms.
“The suit was comfortable,” said Jared Reay, an 11-year-old Grade 5 St. Marguerite Bourgeoys student who had just donned the sumo suit. “It was all padded and it was tough to walk in.”
With the sumo suits not designed for elementary students, every participant swam in them and the matches ended in one landing on the other and being declared the winner.
Across the hall, the dance-dance activity was hopping with kids and adults from the tender age of one to those 40 and over, giving it their all on the floor to popular songs. One-year-old Ava Specht stole the show with her giggly dance.
“She is so much fun,” said her mother Kylie Chalaturnyk as she encouraged her daughter to wiggle a little more.
In addition to the fun activities, hotdogs, popcorn, ice cream and cotton candy were available for the children and parents.
