Montair Elementary School
Can You Imagine That?
A Carnival That Proves Anything is Possible By Nikki Haramoglis, Resident since 2011, and Kelly Francis, Resident since 2010 Mary Poppins, Kelly, Frangolino the Clown, and Nikki crank up the fun!
How long have the two of you been the lead organizers for the Montair Elementary Carnival?
We’ve been chairing the event for four years now along with an incredibly talented committee.
Did you two know each other before being paired together?
We met as 1st time Kindergarten parents on a blind playdate. We also had both signed up to do “Harvest of the Quarter” for our class. We hit it off right from the get go and our girls, now in 5th grade, are still great friends.
What are some of the themes you’ve run with? Which one has been the easiest and which one was the hardest to pull off?
Two years into our role as event chairs, we opted to implement a theme tied to a newly released children’s blockbuster movie. We’ve used “The Greatest School Carnival” coming off of The Greatest Showman release. This year was, “Can you imagine that?” from Mary Poppins Returns. We had Mary Poppins characters walking around, and our cake walk theme yielded creativity – “anything is possible, even the impossible”. By far our biggest challenge is something the carnival team jokes about year after year. We’ve encountered more than our fair share of weather over the past four years on carnival day; torrential rain, high winds and extreme heat, black ash from wild fires. All the while, we’ve managed to have fun with it, and, more importantly, the kids have never once allowed weather to interrupt their having a ball.
Is it a well-oiled machine at this point? Any unexpected surprises this year?
We’ve been really lucky as event chairs because we’ve had so many of the same committee members participate along with us all four years. Their feedback and experience allows us to improve the overall success of the carnival. Each year we’ve hosted meetings over dinner both before and after the event takes place. As such, the team really comes together and feels connected to the event. Every year, we try to surprise the Montair community with new and exciting event attractions. This year we brought in The Bubble Lady, a caricaturist, and the Mega Slide. It’s important for us to think about the range of ages we see, from TK to 5th grade - we want it to appeal to all families.
What do you most look forward to about the Carnival year after year?
This event is unique as it brings the entire school community together. We love seeing old friends visiting and new connections being made across all grade levels. Because so much of what carnival offers is interactive, the event lends well to connecting people.
What is the best part of volunteering at the school?
Montair’s PTA and our principal, Ondi Tricaso, have made volunteering feel good to all parents. They continuously offer their support and create opportunities, which make it accessible to all parents. For example, one of our very creative dads, Ricky Helton, had the unique idea of turning the 200 wing into a haunted house – and four years later, it’s one of our carnival’s main attractions. We’re so lucky to have also had over 100 parents donate an hour of their time to run our game and prize booths. The best part of volunteering at our school is that independent of how many hours you can provide, it’s all valued.
What would you tell a parent just entering elementary school who might be nervous to take on school volunteering?
Montair is such a welcoming community with a ton of ways to get involved. We’d encourage you to attend a PTA meeting (open to all) and connect with your room parents to learn of opportunities that may be of interest. If you have a unique talent, skill or business that would benefit the school, Montair wants to hear from you. The last two years, we’ve been super lucky to have Flavio Domeni, a newer dad to Montair, come forward and donate his professional clown act to our Carnival! Volunteering is also a family affair. For example, our husbands and children come out before, during, and after the carnival event hours to set up and assist in the day.
Anything else you’d like to say or add?
#ITSALLFORTHEKIDS
This year we were really surprised by having a larger attendance from the Danville community at large; other elementary schools, pre-schools and parent alumni. Nikki Haramoglis and Kelly Francis oversee this year’s school carnival. 22
NOVEMBER 2019
