The first weekend of May brought sunshine, the smell of popcorn, and the cheerful chaos of a school carnival to the grounds of May Catholic School — and this year’s event may have been the best one yet. The annual Spring Carnival, the school’s largest fundraiser of the year, drew a record crowd and raised over fourteen thousand dollars for the school’s technology fund.
Families arrived in waves through the afternoon, filling the school parking lot and spilling out onto the adjacent field where tents and game booths had been set up in a cheerful maze of activity. Children darted between the ring toss, the balloon darts, the cake walk, and the beloved dunk tank — where, to absolutely nobody’s surprise, Principal Mrs. O’Brien took her place above the water with characteristic good humor and more than a little dignity.
“She went in four times,” reported third-grader Max Torres with barely concealed delight. Mrs. O’Brien confirmed this with a laugh and noted that she had already been warned by last year’s dunk tank champion, Mr. Hoffman, to bring an extra change of clothes.
The carnival was months in the making. The parent volunteer committee, led by chairperson Diane Castillo, coordinated over eighty volunteers across two days of setup, the event itself, and Sunday morning cleanup. The committee organized sponsorships from twelve local businesses, several of whom contributed not only financially but by staffing booths and donating prizes.
Inside the gymnasium, a silent auction featured more than sixty items donated by families and community partners — everything from restaurant gift cards to a weekend getaway donated by a local bed-and-breakfast. The auction alone raised nearly four thousand dollars.
The food tent, operated by the eighth-grade families as their class fundraiser, was a particular draw. This year’s menu featured homemade tamales, fresh lemonade, funnel cake, and a surprisingly popular Korean fried chicken dish contributed by the Kim family, whose recipe reportedly drew a line that stretched the length of the building.
Student Council organized the carnival’s opening ceremony, which included a short prayer of blessing for the event and a performance by the school choir. Student council president Sofia Hernandez welcomed the crowd with words that drew applause: “May Catholic School is not just a place. It’s a family. And today, we get to celebrate that.”
The funds raised will go directly toward updating computer equipment in two classrooms and purchasing new tablets for the school’s resource room — a project that teachers have prioritized for the past two academic years. Mrs. O’Brien expressed deep gratitude to everyone who participated. “This community shows up every single year, and every single year I am moved by it. We are so fortunate.”
Planning for next year’s Spring Carnival is already underway. Families interested in joining the organizing committee are encouraged to contact the school office in January. Based on this year’s success, the bar has been set high — but if the May Catholic community has proven anything, it is that rising to meet a challenge is simply what they do.
