The war for balance

The Renaissance Carnival is an event designed for students by students.

“When students don’t attend school that day or check out early, they are checking out on us,” Nick Weaver, Renaissance executive, said.

About one in four teens suffer from anxiety or an anxiety disorder, such as post-traumatic stress disorder or obsessive compulsive disorder. That would be an entire grade level at EHS.

The administration and staff and have been shaping their instruction to address the social-emotional needs of students as well as equip them with tools to manage stress with the first-ever Health and Wellness Day. But more than anything, the almost two dozen Renaissance representatives plan, set up, run and clean up the carnival to celebrate students.

“It’s a celebration for students who have put in the effort to learn and succeed in school and have a fun time,” Samuel Huff, Renaissance representative, said.

The carnival, which last year took the place of the annual Renaissance Assembly, will look and feel a bit different this year.

The carnival is more interactive and relaxing than the intense assembly.

Unfortunately, many students have a tendency to leave school early for the sole purpose of missing the carnival. April 29, 2016, the date of last year’s carnival, 324 students were absent for the event.

Those absent miss out. Nothing compares to the feeling of crawling through tunnels, scaling walls and jumping from platforms on an inflatable obstacle course and beating your best friend while doing it.

“I liked it,” Grace Lutz (10) said. “We got to have a fun time instead of a normal school day.”

Grades will rotate together through various stations:

  • Stations Areas
      • Gyms/Gym Atriums:
        • Gym A: inflatables
        • Gym A Atrium: DIY photo booth
        • Gym B: inflatables
        • Gym B Atrium: mural
      • Aerobics Room: karaoke
      • Shelf #1 w/ Padding: dodgeball
      • Shelf #2 w/o Padding: indoor games (bags, hula hoops, etc.)
      • Library: board games and trivia battle
      • Hall Outside Library: inflatable bowling
      • Theater Atrium: Snacks (popcorn & popsicles)
      • Theater: Movie
      • Commons:
        • carnival games: ring toss, bean bag toss, disc drop
        • sack races (hall between main office and foreign language)
        • tug of war
        • academic awards
        • live music
        • face painting
        • pie in the face raffle

9th and 10th grades will start in the Commons/library/hallways/large theater/theater atrium. 11th and 12th grades will start in the gym complex.

Renaissance also added a penny war fundraiser during lunch that ends today, April 27. Each cent is one point. Pennies in one’s own grade-level jar are positive points for that grade level. All other monies one places in another grade level’s jar are negative points.

The entire school could have completed a Google survey, April 17, that determined which teacher would take a pie to the face during the carnival. Mandy Kotraba, science teacher, won.

The grade level that wins the penny war, will be the only class to witness Kotraba taking a pie to the face.

“There are so many people that are ready and willing to pie my face,” Kotraba said. “I’d be lying if I wasn’t a little scared that I might get whiplash from a pie.”

So instead of checking out of school, students should check out the carnival.

The schedule for the day of the carnival is as follows:

  • Friday: Modified A-Day Schedule
    • 1st: 8:16-8:40 (24 min)
    • 2nd: 8:46-9:10 (24 min)
    • 3rd: 9:16-9:40 (24 min)
    • 5th: 9:46-10:10 (24 min)
    • 6th: 10:16-10:40 (24 min)
    • 4th: 10:46-12:00
      • Lunch A:  10:40-11:09 (Warning Bell 11:05)
      • Lunch B:  11:09-11:37 (Warning Bell 11:33)
      • Lunch C:  11:37-12:06 (Warning Bell 12:00)
    • 7th: 12:06-12:30 (24 min)
  • Modified Letter Day Schedule
    • Thursday, 4/28: A-Day
    • Friday, 4/29: Modified A-Day
  • Each grade will start…
    • 9th-10th GRADES: Commons/Library/Hallways/Large Theater/Theater Atrium
    • 11th-12th GRADES: Gyms A & B/Gym Atriums/Aerobics Room/Shelves
  • Rotation Times (33 minutes per station)
    • Release at 12:30 PM (leave bags in 7th Hour)
    • Station #1: 12:35-1:45
    • Station #2: 1:50-3:01
    • Collect Bags from 7th Hour: 3:01