Coloring the Way to a New Playground
Blessed with a beautiful Sunday afternoon, St. Mary’s PTU colored the skies and fields behind the school at the first annual color fun walk. The event was geared toward younger children and families and included three different courses allowing even the youngest kids to participate.
Armed with their color fun walk T-shirts and protective, but stylist sunglasses, walkers made their way through four different color spraying locations. Kids, parents, grandparents and community members came away covered in a rainbow of color.
Lynn Woolard, St. Mary PTU co-president said, “Everyone had fun getting messy. It was a great start to reaching our goal for a new playground.”
The PTU reported that over 300 people attended the inaugural event. Color thrower volunteers did not hold back even when it came to the new principal, Mrs. Friederike Wintersteller.
Some speculate that the staff and parents had more fun than the kids, which was highlighted by a color fight between preschool teachers Linda Flynn and Kelly Yates and the massive color dump on event MC Marc Burr.
Funds collected by walkers and sponsors will be put toward updating the school and church’s playground area. Participants are hoping to make this an annual event.
Junior High Travels to the Border
St. Mary junior high students took a trip up north to discover some of the past and enjoy one of the natural wonders of the land. They began their roaming lesson at The Niagara and Erie County Naval and Military Park. While there, students were able to tour battleships and learn about life on a ship.
The only guided missile cruiser on display in the United States today, the USS Little Rock is the sole survivor of the U.S. Navy’s World War II. Following the naming convention at the time, all cruisers were named for U.S. cities and towns. The USS Croaker, a Gato-class submarine, was built as part of the effort to assemble a major submarine force just prior to and after the U.S. entry into World War II. The Croaker, named after the various species of fish that make throbbing or drumming noises, was sent to the Pacific to wage a war of attrition against Japan’s merchant marine and Navy. The Croaker had six WWII pacific war patrols, was awarded three battle stars and claimed 11 Japanese vessels, including a cruiser, four tankers, two freighters, an ammunition ship, two escort craft and a minesweeper.
Old Fort Niagara was the next stop for students on the tour, where they learned about French settlements taken over by the English. The buildings on grounds are all still original and allow the students to take a step back in time. First-hand encounters with the past inspire students to learn more about history while supporting important in-class learning objectives. Field trips where students see, hear, smell and touch life in another century are great ways to instill a life-long love of history in students. The students were treated to an animated guided tour of the centuries-old fortifications and a soldier who demonstrates the workings of a flintlock musket.
The Maid of the Mist provided the last stop for learning. Dating back to 1846, The Maid of the Mist has served as a transportation vehicle to help people and goods cross the river. In 1848, construction of a suspension bridge curtailed business and the Maid of the Mist was re-branded as a sightseeing adventure that still operates to this day. The students enjoyed getting up front on the rail to see the natural wonder for themselves.