By Shelley Smithssmith@salisburypost.com
Isenberg Elementary held its 2009 Fall Festival on Friday in the front lawn of the school. Hundreds of children and their families attended, and there was a step show by Livingstone College students.
“This was the first fall festival Isenberg’s had in many years,” said Kim Abdalah, president of the PTA. “We wanted to do something to involve kids and parents of all ages and create it so everyone can be involved.”
Abdalah’s husband is fluent in Spanish, and she said he helped out a lot by getting members of the Hispanic population to the festival.
“We wanted to create something where everyone feels they belong,” Abdalah said.
The festival included a ring toss and other games, a cake walk, an inflatable bouncing castle, face painting, balloon animals and balloon hats and a DJ.
Children especially enjoyed dancing to the cha-cha slide and cupid shuffle.
“Principal Nathan Currie has been a great influence on the school and bringing the community together,” Abdalah said.
“The festival was excellent,” Currie said. “From the community support and participation to the financial standpoint, it was a huge success.”
Tickets for each activity were 50 cents. Children received candy as prizes. The proceeds from the festival went toward the matching fund from the school system, in which the system provides 70 percent to the school’s 30 percent of funds, up to $10,000. Currie said the matching fund is going toward technology for teachers and students.
“I’ve really enjoyed the new PTA of Isenberg,” Currie said. “We wanted to change the focus of the school, making it more family- and community-oriented.”
Later this year, Currie and the PTA plan a mother/son and father/daughter dance and an “Isenberg Idol.”
“We tried hard to get everyone involved, and I believe it was a huge success,” Abdalah said.