Spring Fest
Red Rock Elementary parents
get into the swing of things

ABOVE: Polo Resendiz waits as a patron of the Sponge Toss gets set to toss a soaking wet sponge Saturday afternoon at Red Rock Elementary. The annual Spring Fling event offered a variety of games and activities. BELOW: R.J Dimas leaps in the air onto a giant inflatable rabbit with his friends Kory Willams and Hannah Thorton. [photos by Brian Leddy / Independent]

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

GALLUP — Parents of Red Rock Elementary School pupils were raising funds for the school with the annual Spring Fest on Saturday.

Children and their families came out for fun with various kid-friendly activities and games, including the duck pond, sucker pull, softball toss, jump castles and a firehouse show for fire safety tips.

The Parent-Teacher Organization at Red Rock Elementary raises funds year long for various supplies. The money raised from Saturday’s fund raiser will help to buy rewards for the school’s reading incentive program.

Verdell Spencer, a third-grader at the school, was at the Spring Fest enjoying various activities. He said he was “just winning prizes” playing at the duck pond, the balloon bust, Coke ring toss, bottle knock down and basketball shoot.

John Hiskey, a parent, was helping out with the sponge toss, allowing children to throw soaking wet sponges at his face. It was the most popular activity of the day.
“I’d do anything for my daughter and the school — whatever I can do,” he said. He had already been hit three or four times before taking a break to collect tickets.

Jessica Benally and Ashleigh Tafoya were at the Spring Fest to do community service for the Junior National Honor Society.

“I think it’s fun for the kids to do this,” Benally said as she helped out at the bottle toss. She added, “I like helping out people.”

Tafoya was helping at the bean bag toss.

They’re doing good,” she said about the kids competing. She was putting in three hours for her community service.
Parent Joy Fleishhacker arrived at the Spring Fest to volunteer.

“It looks like fun,” she said as she waited to be assigned to a station.

“All year long we do fund raising and we purchase things,” PTO President Iris Robertson said. She added a Fall Fest will also be held next school year to raise money for various supplies the school needs that aren’t paid for by the state, including reimbursements for teachers buying their own supplies.

PTO Vice President Diane McDargh was selling concessions including hot dogs, chili dogs and nachos in the school cafeteria.

“I bought 1,000 hot dogs and I’m hoping to sell every one,” she said.

About the Spring Fest, she said, “The children love it.” She added that over the years she has tried every one of the booths.

Next year McDargh will be the PTO president and she is already planning the year’s fund raisers.

While the event was slated to be canceled, the parents decided to get the activity together despite the competition from the carnival.

Though the parents were able to put the Spring Fest together within a month, the PTO could always use more participation, Peterson said