IN THE CLASSROOM -- Going for gold

Danette Goulet

NEWPORT BEACH -- More than 500 children raced around in the sand.

They ran obstacle courses under jungle gyms, through Hula-Hoops

hanging from monkey bars and over hurdles in the sand.

They had relay races at the ocean’s edge dragging body boards in tow

in place of the traditional baton.

They had a speed sandcastle building race to see who could pile the

most sand up the quickest.

They had a tug-of-war near lapping waves where not one child walked

away with grass-stained knees.

Why didn’t my parents send me to Newport Elementary School?

It was the school-wide annual surf-side Olympics. There were no

prizes, no money was being raised; it was just about fun.

There were 13 events set up for students. They had everything from the

football, basketball and Frisbee tosses to a dizzy bat hurdle combo.

Although on that one, I didn’t see too many students jump over the

hurdles. They pretty much just ran through them in their muddled state.

And let’s not forget the surf dress-up relay race -- always a

favorite.

They did have to get rid of one event that students loved -- the water

balloon toss.

“There were way too many complaints,” said Steve Puppo, the PTA

president.

I can only assume those complaints came from parents or perhaps

teachers.

All the while surf music blared across the beach, which had many of

the girls dancing about while they waited for their turn to Hula-Hoop or

shoot a basket.

* IN THE CLASSROOM is a weekly feature in which Daily Pilot education

writer Danette Goulet visits a campus within the Newport-Mesa Unified

School District and writes about her experience.