It isn’t every day when students get served cotton candy by the principal and the superintendent hands over the sugary treat with a smile.
At Skokie School District 68, though, it happens once a year – at Fall Fest.
“It’s such a nice event that brings everyone together,” said Jane Stenson Elementary School Principal Sue O’Neil.
More Top Picks Kitchenaid Pro Line 16 Cup
Alongside Highland School Principal Karen Bradley, O’Neil worked the cotton candy machine Sept. 7 on the grounds of Old Orchard Junior High School.
O’Neil said this year marked the 19th Fall Fest, a back-to-school celebration that brings families, educators, former students and others together for fun and games — literally.
For two hours after school, older students help run carnival-type games that are scattered throughout the Old Orchard junior high blacktop. A disc jockey leads exuberant students in boisterous dances as tunes are cranked up loud. Younger ones jump up and down in an inflatable bounce house. And pizza is available for purchase near the school’s track.
Fall Fest began as a celebration of the school district’s centennial and was initially planned as a one-time event by the School District 68 board of education, officials said. It soon emerged as a school district staple early in the academic year.
“It’s a great opportunity for everyone to be together,” O’Neil said. “People get out and celebrate the start of a new year. It gets us off on a great foot.”
It also draws some back to the district.
A group of Niles North High School freshmen returned because they said they miss Old Orchard Junior High School. Mary Hinsey, a teacher in the school district who retired at the end of last school year after 29 years, came all the way from Gurnee to attend.
“I wouldn’t have missed this,” she said. “I knew I’d get to see everybody again. I brought my sunglasses in case I get teary. I’ve gone to every one of these since the first one.”
Not long ago, the Skokie School District 68 school board considered making Fall Fest an every-other-year event as a cost-saving measure. That proposal, though, was dropped quickly because of the community embrace of the event. The backlash would have been too great, members of the school board concluded.
The decision to continue Fall Fest every year — despite its approximately $4,000 price tag — has proved popular based on the thousand or so people who attend annually.
“The kids just love this,” said Elizabeth Benzol, an aunt of a fourth grader in the school district. “They get so excited and it’s nice that they get to see their teachers in a different setting than usual.”
Educators say that Fall Fest is likely to continue on for years to come.
“If next year is 20, we have to do something special,” said Supt. Jim Garwood as he handed out cotton candy to a smiling student. “Maybe we’ll have to get four cotton candy machines instead of two.”
@SKReview_Mike