Students fling for spring at school festival

Staff Writer

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Students at Gattis Middle School had a pretty cool day at school Thursday. Case in point: one could pet a pony, launch a rocket, taste-test military rations and learn to play chess all in one night.

The night of fun was also a night of learning at the second annual Spring Fling, a showcase of student and community led projects that explored science, mathematics, language arts, history and more.

“This is their chance to come and shine,” said Avery Thomas, a seventh-grade math teacher at Gattis. “That’s what spring fling is about – it’s about kids showing off what they’ve done all year.”

In the language arts and history section, students presented projects exploring how important figures in history have had an impact on society today.

Sarina Padgett, a sixth-grader at Gattis, showed other students and parents a presentation on her computer exploring Joan of Arc.

“I thought that it might have been boring but after a few weeks I discovered it was amazing, she is a really great person,” Padgett said.

In the math department, airmen from Cannon Air Force Base took charge and taught kids how math is used in the military.

Airman 1st Class Melissa Birdsong brought Meals Ready to Eat to teach kids about caloric intake, but she joked that the kids may have been more interested in the snacks than the math.

“I like interacting with them and informing them, because sometimes kids think this is all we eat,” Birdsong said.

Clovis High School junior and AFJROTC student Christian Masaniai volunteered to work with the younger students shooting off rockets.

“It’s nice working with these guys,” Masaniai said. “We don’t get to launch it ourselves but its pretty fun seeing the kids get a kick out of it.”

Isabel Mesaros, a sixth-grader at Gattis Middle School, showed other students the different types of stitching in the sewing room at the school. She said she couldn’t decide which activity was her favorite part of the night.

“I like the petting zoo a lot but I also like the student projects, it’s just so fun because you see all the hard work they’ve done,” Mesaros said. “It’s been so much fun seeing all the different things, I just love it.”