Students Volunteer at PPCD’s First Field Day
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Students from Westwood’s soccer team and Partners in P.E. gather to take a group picture before the festivities begin.
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Carlos Lobera ’18 hands students soccer balls before they start the next station.
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Caraway Elementary students walk through the victory tunnel during the opening ceremony.
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Heather Lobera ’20 and Sophia Unite ’20 practice face painting before the event begins.
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Sophia Unite ’20 helps students with the fishing station.
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A student squeezes a sponge at the water bucket station.
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Amanda Klein ’19 works the parachute with a group of students from Jollyville Elementary.
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Daniel Lobera ’19 and Bailey Trigg ’20 twirl ribbons with students at their station.
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A volunteer demonstrates to a group from Caraway Elementary how the station will work.
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After weeks of preparation, the Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities (PPCD) hosted its very first annual field day event on Thursday, Oct. 26 at the Kelly Reeves Stadium. A group of 18 Westwood soccer and Partners in P.E. students came together to represent the school and volunteer alongside other high school students from all over the district.
“We arrived, were able to set up stations, and then truly facilitate the activities for all the preschoolers there,” Sofia Goff ‘20 said.
The volunteers prepared stations such as the bouncy houses, water relay races, soccer stations, and many more. Once the kids arrived, they made their way as a group to their assigned school helpers. There, the volunteers greeted the kids by making a fun tunnel that the students could walk through to the designated seating area.
“We waited for the kids to come in and made a tunnel for them where we clapped and high-fived them all,” Amanda Klein ‘19 said. “When they were all coming in, we got to see them all smiling [and] happy.”
As the day progressed, the kids made their way through the stations and the volunteers were able to interact with them, creating a fun and positive experience.
“I now realize how many more people are in our Round Rock ISD community,” Goff said. “I never knew how many little kids were in need of something like this and how much of an impact we can have on them.”
The goal of the day was to have a field day event that reached the kids’ needs and to supply them with the special care and attention that the regular field days at their schools might not be able to give them.
“When it was all set and done, the coaches were very pleased with how everything came out,” Coach Stephanie Kolaczkowski said. “It was very fulfilling to see all the smiling faces and all the cheering, even just to have all the high school students there working so well with our youngest students. It was nothing but smiles and I think the rest of the coaches felt the same way.”
This will be my second year being a part of student press. I'm super excited to see what this year has in store for everyone in the program, and I am hopeful...
