BACK TO SCHOOL: Students Return to On-Campus Carnival

Today is the first day of school at the for students attending , , , Kings Mountain Elementary, , Farallone View Elementary, and .

Before the school year even started, though, students at Farallone View in Montara got a head start yesterday — in extracurricular activities, that is.

While students played skee ball, the sounds of The Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop” — covered by student band The How — emanated from the courtyard.

Farallone View didn't decide to start school a day earlier than others. This celebration was part of a coordinated effort to welcome new and returning families to the school for the 2011-2012 school year at a Back-to-School carnival. Art projects and live entertainment were also part of the mix.

Students entered a raffle to win goodie bags filled with pencils and other school supplies while The How, made up of current and former Farallone View students, played covers of classic rock songs like “Louie, Louie.” Parent volunteer Doug Nolan also provided entertainment with his signature juggling act.

Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and school board member said that while snacks and raffle tickets were a part of the day’s event, the carnival was meant mostly to be an informational, community-building occasion, not a fundraiser.

Coinciding with the posting of new class lists for the fall, the carnival gave students the opportunity to not only see which classes they would be in, but also to begin the transition from summer back into school in a fun, relaxed way.

While new and returning students indulged in face painting, games, snacks and Art in Action projects, parents were able to peruse school programs and familiarize themselves with how the school year would work.

Liz Osborne, PTO treasurer, said that the carnival provided a sort of introduction for parents who are sending their children to school for the first time.

“As a new parent coming into school, there’s so much to wrap your head around,” she said. “Here, they can talk to other parents and sort of ease the transition.”

As PTO president Liz Murphy said, the idea for the carnival sprung not only from a desire to give a warm welcome to new and familiar faces, but also from a hope to showcase what the school community has accomplished.

“We really wanted to make it special and welcome families back to Farallone View,” Murphy said. “It also gives us a chance to show off what we’ve been doing. There are a lot of programs and activities here that showcase who we are and what we’re about.”

Tables showcasing the some of the school’s innovative programs, including (Health, Environment, Agriculture and Learning) and a new art program attracted parents' attention.

Other additions on display included recess activities and noontime sports programs, as well as a new anti-bullying initiative.

PTO member Traci Yerby manned the booth for the school's Beautification Committee. Yerby, the chair of the committee, informed curious parents about how the group is working to improve the aesthetics of Farallone View.

“Volunteers have spent part of the summer cleaning up the front area [of the school],” she said, explaining that what was once a mostly dirt-filled front courtyard has been newly landscaped and prepared for new planting.

“One of the things I wanted to do before my youngest child graduates was to replant the landscape [in the front courtyard],” she said, adding that the area was once vibrant years ago, but has fallen into a much less manicured state in recent years. “Things cycle and we want to bring them back to what they used to be.”

Yerby said that the next step for the committee will be to plant 120 new plants, many of which are or near-natives and all of which are drought-proof, in the front area. The committee will host a planting event this Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Yerby said that she welcomes interested volunteers to come lend a hand, even if they can only spend an hour planting.

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