Photos by Rome City Schools
Friday, August 31st, was a bright and magical day for the first graders at West Central Elementary School, as the entire grade celebrated the culmination of their fairy tale unit with costumes, hand-colored paper crowns, magic potions and a music-filled ball in the school’s gymnasium.
“The students have been studying fairy tales such as The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Cinderella,” explained student teacher, Sarah Andrews.
The enchanted day included many components, as students first gathered to create paper crowns, make a “magic potion” with glitter and baking soda and also build gumdrop houses just like the Three Little Pigs built houses in their story. “Of course, the “Big Bad Wolves” tried to destroy the houses by blowing on them with hair dryers,” first grade teacher, Candice Carlton, explained smiling.
After a fun-filled morning, all students lined up and marched into the gymnasium where the music was blasting tunes made for royalty. Students were then able to ask their classmates, “may I have this dance?”
Andrews, who is currently studying early childhood education at Berry College, spends three days a week with her first-grade class at West Central, and has enjoyed digging into the fairy tale unit the past few weeks as she happily dressed in a blue tutu and crown to celebrate the day with her students.
Like Andrews and the students, the other teachers were also dressed as princesses or other fairy tale characters. Many of the young girls wore large, sparkling dresses, with many layers and plenty of ruffles. Six-year-old sisters, Samantha and Angela Barahona, wore matching maroon dresses to the ball. Angela’s bright smile lit up the room as she proudly declared, “today we get to be princesses.”
Another young student, six-year-old Charleigh Vaughn, was also thrilled to be a princess for the day, although she wants to be a baker when she grows up, just like her mom.
Charleigh’s favorite part of studying fairy tales are the animals that are inevitably part of the stories. “I learned that the animals in fairy tales have human traits, and that’s why they can help do chores and help out in the stories!” said Vaughn.
Rome City School Superintendent, Louis Byars, was also present for the ball and was even able to waltz with some of the students.
“It’s such a fun event,” said Byars. “I came for the first time last year and I knew I had to stop by again this year.”
It was most certainly a magical day for all the Princes and Princesses at West Central Elementary School.
