WEST VALLEY CITY-- Stansbury Elementary students T.J. Aiono and Solomon Lelea carefully string colorful pasta onto a piece of yarn to create a necklace. For them, the twice yearly "family night" at their school is a time to play games with family and friends.
"It's lots of fun," said Solomon.For Stansbury Principal Mary Grace Bowling, this is a chance to build a community. Bowling remembers growing up in a small Arizona town where the school was the center of the community. Her school's goal is to create the same sense of community in the diverse Salt Lake Valley neighborhood where Stansbury is located. Some 756 students attend the year-round school.
Thursday, more than 1,600 students, parents, teachers and staff turned the school into a carnival of fun and learning. After a free dinner, each of the school's 29 classrooms was packed with families enjoying everything from scrapbooking to math games to singing and learning about lifesaving techniques or healthful breakfasts.
In the library, the school showcased its Lightspan program, which allows students to check out Sony Playstations with special educational software. Staff and teachers volunteered their time during the event.
"It's very unusual to have 1,600 people come to an elementary school event," Bowling said
As their children created buttons, parents Karen and Steve Dean said the family night is a chance to come to the school and enjoy time together. It's a more casual atmosphere than at parent-student-teacher conferences that occur at other times of the year.
"Today parents are in such a frenzy. They don't get a sense of community anymore," said Karen Dean.
Elsa Thomas, who is raising a 6-year-old granddaughter, said the event was a nice way to meet people and was a highlight for her granddaughter.
Because Stansbury serves a largely disadvantaged population, it is classified as a Title I school and receives extra federal grants to help students with reading and math, among other things. It also is required to have parent involvement programs. Even so, before the family nights started five years ago, attendance at some of the earlier parent involvement activities was sparse.
The family night program has grown beyond expectations. When it started, about 500 attended, and it has grown from there, said Pat Burton, Title I specialist.
"Every school need this kind of program," she said.
Bowling attributes participation in other school programs to the family night involvement. For example, the school now boasts a 96 percent participation in parent-teacher-student conferences.
"The most important thing is getting mom and dad into the school so they have an investment," said Granite School Board member Sarah Meier, who attended the event with her family Thursday.
Burton says the sight of all those smiling faces Thursday night is in stark contrast to days at the school when there was limited contact between families and the school. Much of the contact that occurred was antagonistic. Bowling said one parent commented Thursday that she hated attending Stansbury as a child but now loves the school where her son is a pupil.
"It is great to have fun with families, parents and grandparents. It gives us a chance to laugh and enjoy each other. There is a wonderful feeling of community among the school," said kindergarten teacher Mary Jane Schmidt.