Students and their families from the Littlest Cowboys Preschool gathered in the cafeteria on Friday, December 14 for their annual Winterfest. Families felt the winter spirit as they enjoyed games, food, songs and even a visit from Santa Claus.
The Early Childhood Education program at CCHS provides high school students with the opportunity to educate and create bonds with the children in the Littlest Cowboys Preschool located on campus. The Winterfest is planned and created by high school seniors in this program.
“I played games, I ate and I sung,” four-year-old Littlest Cowboys student Savannah Somma said.
“We have a lot of unique personalities and abilities in our preschool and planning for this can be a challenge,” Early Childhood Education teacher and Littlest Cowboys Preschool Director Deborah Covard said. “My Directed Studies students planned and created different activities for the preschoolers to participate in. They had to keep in mind the theme of the event as well as the appropriateness of what they are expecting of each child.”
The cafeteria was filled with an assortment of breakfast foods and treats for all to enjoy. Preschoolers participated in a variety of games including snowman bowling, pin the carrot on the snowman, hit the hot chocolate and sensory snow.
“I liked the games,” four-year-old Littlest Cowboys preschool student Andy Ramssaran said. “I threw snowmen. Mom, Nona and Pop Pop came. Santa gave me Play-Doh and a spider car.”
The students began the event by singing many holiday-themed songs. These included “Jingle Bells,” “Must Be Santa,” “Hanukkah Candles” and “Christmas Mouse.” Families enjoyed watching their children perform.
“I played games, I ate and I sung,” four-year-old Littlest Cowboys student Savannah Somma said. “I liked taking pictures. I had fun.”
The highlight of the event was the arrival of Santa Claus. He made a grand entrance in a fire truck and brought each child a present. The students sat on his lap and took pictures.
“Santa came with a big red firetruck,” four-year-old Littlest Cowboys student Pedro Herrera said. “I wasn’t afraid of it. It was cool. I got a gold car. My sister came with me. Mommy, daddy and me. I weared a bowtie and it was red.”
Winterfest is a time for families to become more involved in their child’s preschool education. By participating in this event, the child’s parents and grandparents can get to know the program and meet their child’s teachers. They were also given the opportunity to socialize and interact with the other families in the preschool.
“Our program is much more than just learning about children and how to teach them letters and numbers,” Covard said. “We form bonds with the preschoolers and their families. It is a great way to establish positive relationships with families and give them some insight on some of the things that happen at school.”
“Santa came with a big red firetruck,” four-year-old Littlest Cowboys student Pedro Herrera said. “I wasn’t afraid of it. It was cool. I got a gold car. My sister came with me. Mommy, daddy and me. I weared a bowtie and it was red.”
There is a lot that goes into running the Early Childhood Education program. The high school component has to work alongside the preschool in order to be successful. High school students that partake in the early childcare program are in six different classes and have to make sure that everything runs smoothly despite not being in the same class. Many students come in before school, after school, during study hall and even during their lunch.
“My hope is that families feel the love that we have for the children,” Littlest Cowboys Preschool teacher Kelly Cozier-Diaz said. “I also would like them to be able to see how hard all of the high schoolers work and how much they enjoy working with their children.”
Photo by Arielle Kraus
