Fall Festival closes out Red Ribbon Week at Cooley Ranch

There’s nothing like the advent of Red Ribbon Week in the Colton Joint Unified School District. Crazy hair days, wear red against drug use days, come to class in your pajama days and wear orange for friendship days all provide lots of fun and laughter. Everyone knows what comes after all that, though: the Fall Festival!

October 28, 2017 was the day culminating the end of Red Ribbon Week for the CJUSD and Cooley Ranch Elementary at 1000 S. Cooley Drive in Colton celebrated with a fall festival full of lots of entertainment and games galore!

There were plenty of game booths for students to try their skills with tossing balls and bean bags. The American Heart Association was there with a jump rope competition that was as popular as the face painting booth and selfie corner. The smell of freshly popped kettle corn sweetened the air and a Kona Ice truck offered some delicious treats to help everyone cool down.

Each student that had bought a wristband was given a free hot dog and chips along with free admission to all the games. Inside the Multi-Purpose room a trio made up of teachers Doug Nasluchacz, Ray Auger and Joe Barnett played some contemporary hits in between performances of each grade level. Three fourth grade teachers Star Treff, Andrea Perdie and Jo Ella Medina, dressed up as fairies and offered goodies to all of the festival-goers.

Rosezavion Carter II, a second grader at Cooley Ranch and celebrating his birthday that day, won a prize at the Jump for Heart booth as his family watched on. “This is the best fall festival I’ve ever seen,” Jocelin Carter, his mother, said, “We’re new to this school and we’re enjoying the different games set up for the kids.”

As the festival slowed down and many people headed out to the parking lot to go home, shouts of greetings filled the night. “Wasn’t this fun?” parents asked one another. “We can’t wait to come back next year!”

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