around the uft
'Funapaloosa' no snooza
Sep 6, 2007 7:57 PM
Brooklyn school's carnival fun for all ages
Paraprofessional Paul Suazo is about to be submerged in the dunk tank.
Ever dunk a favorite authority figure in a tank of frigid water? Students got just that opportunity at the fourth annual “Funapaloosa” at PS 10 in Park Slope, Brooklyn, where payback was love and love was payback as paraprofessional Paul Suazo was immersed countless times by the kids he mentors, only to emerge with a smile.
“I’ll do almost anything for the sake of school spirit, because when it’s high it has a domino effect on what gets done in the classroom,” the drenched Suazo said.
Kids are tickled as teachers (from left) Michael “Cinderella” Burstein, Michele “Ariel” Gatti and Camille “Snow White” Massa don costumes.
Launched in 2002 with a grant from the New York Academy of Medicine to help the community heal after 9/11, the gala was traditionalized thanks to support from Goldman Sachs, the PTA, other community-based organizations and the UFT.
Guidance counselor and event coordinator Giovanni Oramas, clad in red tux and barker’s black top hat, said the event was created “to foster social, emotional and cognitive growth. In other words, for fun!”
Guidance counselor Giovanni Oramas, who coordinated the event, barks out announcements.
School staff and volunteers from Goldman Sachs and the parent community were big actors in the team effort, loosening up on their dignity just a bit to masquerade as such cultural icons as Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, Elmo, Barney the Dinosaur, Winnie the Pooh, Ariel the Mermaid (in chartreuse skirt and scarlet wig), to name a few.
There were faces to be painted, art to be spun, cotton candy to be dispensed, and rings and bean bags to be tossed. There was a Castle Slide and Bounce, Plinko, swords sculpted from balloons, a clown called Wiggles and a dizzying Wheel of Fortune.
Parent Mary Beth Cono focuses intently on the face she’s painting.
Principal Concetta “Jett” Ritorto said, “Our carnival is a wonderful example of a community working together to create a joyous experience for our students. Our UFT members are amazingly dedicated.”
Angela DeMaio, UFT chapter leader, took it a step further. “We all depend on each other and nobody lets anyone else down,” she said. “There’s a lot of mutual admiration going around.”
Chapter Leader Angela DeMaio gets up close and personal with Cookie Monster.
