Students at Hillsboro Elementary School enjoyed a morning of fun games during the second annual Child?ren?s Day Celebration April 30.
The event, a cooperative effort of the Marion County Learning Center, USD 410 and Families and Communi?ties Together, actually has its roots south of the border, according to Juana Pritchard, a lead organizer.
?The Children?s Day Celebration is something we have for kids in Mexico every April 30th,? said Pritchard, who grew up in Mexico and currently works at the Learning Center. ?The main idea of this is to make the kids feel special in school.?
Typical activities from Mexico were part of the HES event. Students rotated through five stations: one featuring food, one for playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey, one for chicken-wing dancing, one for breaking pinatas and one for a balloon relay.
?For me it?s a tradition that we have in Mexico, and it?s good because it runs through the school system, together with the parents,? Pritchard said.
Assisting with the event were several Mexican families from the community and Spanish class students from the high school.
?It went really, really well,? Pritchard said of the morning. ?Normally we start with an assembly, which includes a little bit of zumba for the kids. This year we planned for 310 kids. Last year it was 300.
Pritchard said she hopes it can be an annual event.
?I know they have Play Day (at HES), but we are hoping there can be something we can encourage our parents to be a part of,? she said.
