Friday, December 16 and Tuesday, December 20 marked the annual Winter Carnival for ACS Early Years and Elementary School students. Students celebrated in the Elementary School Auditorium by playing games, participating in holiday crafts, and taking pictures with Santa. Early Years and Elementary School parent coordinators organized the event under a gingerbread theme for 2016.

“The Winter Carnival is a tradition that we do every year,” said Elementary School parent coordinator Ghada Sakr. “The kids love it and they look forward to it. Some of the kids focus on the arts and crafts, others like to roam between the games and the crafts.”

Previously an all-school event that fell over a weekend, the Winter Carnival was re-formatted four years ago to cater to Early Years and Elementary School students during school hours. “Not everyone attended when we held it on a weekend, and we wanted to make sure all students from the two lower divisions could be there,” said Sakr. “The new format allows all young students to attend, minimizes the chaos and lets kids concentrate on the games and activities.” This year’s games and activities included creating snowball ornaments, decorating a Christmas tree, face painting and competing in games like Pin the Tree, Reindeer Toss, and Feed the Snowman.

Parents kept the crowd to a minimum by designating specific time slots for each grade level, allowing students to enjoy the activities and make the most of their time. Students also brought wrapped gifts to contribute to the holiday gift drive for a local orphanage.

A highlight from the Winter Carnival was the visit from Santa. Early Years students took photos with him and, since all behaved themselves this year, were given a “Nice List Certificate.” Santa was the subject of much questioning as students asked him about his reindeers, his sleigh and how he was able to bring presents to so many kids in one night.

The Winter Carnival is a special ACS tradition that is made possible each year by the generous support of Early Years and Elementary School parents. A heartfelt thank you to all parents, especially the parent coordinators and more than 50 parent volunteers, for holding this special holiday event. This year’s Elementary School parent coordinators are Ghada Sakr, Lulwa Ghazaleh, Hala Haydar, Reem Wahab and Majdolene Hijazi; and Early Years parent coordinators are Faten Hazimeh, Mounira Haidar, Zeina Fayad, Lamis Ammar, Diana El Zein, Amira Chehadeh, Hani Debs, Lahel Ismail, Nour Ismail Al Bazzaz, Layla Haidar, Dana Khattab, and Tanaz Agha.