Katonah Elementary Students Under the Big Top

Though cold and wet outside last Friday evening, the annual Katonah Elementary School “Spring Fling” carnival infused the school with warmth and cheer.

The Parent Teacher Organization puts on this boisterous carnival each year to raise money towards the PTO-funded enrichment programs provided for the students during the school year.

“Spring Fling is a KES event that transforms the school's gym from a room for physical education, to a carnival for the kids, in three hours time. Parents and high school students take turns manning thirteen different game booths that test children's agility, luck, and creativity,” explained Spring Fling chairwoman, Celeste Potash. 

The committe has expanded the program over the years, adding a magician and a clown into the mix. They also secured donated goods and services from parents in the KES community, as well as area businesses, for the event's raffle and silent auction.

This year's hot ticket auction items included seats at a Yankee game, a weekend at a mountain home near Windham ski resort, a hot-air ballon ride and gift certificates to local restaurants.

The most popular auction item on the block? A horseback ride and cappucino with Martha Stewart on her property, which fetched a winning bid of $3,000.

Amongst the younger set, the Apple iTouch was easily the most sought-after raffle item, with a Nintendo DSi following closely behind.  

The “Piggy Race” was a favorite game of the KES students. Third-grader Nelson Salazar assisted in this year's race of wind-up animals by using a stick to corral errant animals back to their track. His strategy for winning was simple: “The pink pig always wins!"

The event required a huge amount of planning by the PTO organizers, KES families and several John Jay high school students. Potash spent several weeks of her time preparing for the carnival.

“The best thing about helping to organize this event is seeing first-hand the generosity of this school's parents and community," said Potash. "There are parents who come in early to help set up, others who donate their goods and services, or bake items for the bake sale, and some who help man game booths all night," she said.

Every year they also have high school students, many of them  KES alumni, come in and help; some of the John Jay-ers even choose to work from set-up all the way through to the end of the night, she added gratefully.