Vikings hold carnival

On Friday afternoon, the Harbor View Elementary playground became a colorful carnival with food, fun and contests. It was a charity carnival organized entirely by the fourth, fifth- and sixth-graders. The money raised will go to St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton.

“Raising money for the hospital was the students’ idea,” Principal Charlene Metoyer said. “For the last month or so, they have been missing their lunch a few times during the week to meet and organize the carnival.” Metoyer was also one of the many people thoroughly enjoying the booths at the carnival Friday.

There were face-painting booths, pie-throwing contests, and booths selling snacks and smoothies, to name a few.

Niki Monjazed and her friends drew mustaches, butterflies, flowers and more pictures on students at their face-painting booth. She said they had been preparing for the event for two months.

Cameron Dorn and Mia Schuman had put together a balloon-game booth with their friends. “It feels good that the money will be going to St. Jude. It’s nice to be helping those less fortunate than us,” Cameron said.

Friday’s carnival was the fourth and the last in a series of the school’s weekly efforts to raise money for the community. Harbor View got together with the organization Team Kids a month ago and has been putting together weekly events for the month. During the first week, the students held a food drive and were able to collect six bins of food. The following week, they collected a van-load of clothes and toys for the Southwest Community Center. During the third week, they raised money for the Pacific Marine Mammal Institute by recycling.

Julie Tapp, the chief program officer of Team Kids said that this program is being implemented every month by many schools in the community.

“It is a celebration of the kids, of the difference they can make in the community,” Tapp said.