School has titanic carnival

Everyone knows that it’s nearly impossible to keep kids’ minds on their school work when it’s a bright Friday afternoon before a three-day weekend. The administrators and parents at P.S. 169 in Bay Terrace found a solution.
For the last 10 years, on the Friday before Memorial Day, the schoolyard is transformed into an amusement park, for an annual School Carnival.
With the aid of volunteers and donations from local businesses, the kids get to romp inside inflatable castles, go on a slide almost as tall as the school, eat cotton candy and pretzels and even ride on a trackless train in front of the schoolyard.
“We want to give something back to the students, as a reward for their hard work all year,” says Principal Annette Kunin, pointing to the blow-up, two-story “Titanic” slide. Part of the ritual is that Kunin and assistant principal Carol Greenberg go down the slide as well.
“I’m terrified of heights,” Kunin confides, “but the kids love it. We have to climb to the top of the slide and they call out our names until we do it.” They do their daredevil routine twice-a-day, early for the younger kids and later in the afternoon for those through grade 6.
“We get everyone involved- current students, parents and grandparents, staff and their family” Greenberg says, “we even have school alumni working the booths.”
Lorraine Podrat, 79 has been a school volunteer for 24 years. “I’ve been through three principals and lots of assistants,” she says. Podrat has worked on all the Carnivals. “This is my last one, though” she says, “my grandson is graduating.”
Parent Marc Brandell said, “I am only on my third. But we love it.”
The school’s mission statement posted inside the lobby includes the goal, “To encourage a caring and compassionate school community.” When you look around at the volunteers toiling under the hot sun, the laughing kids and the smiling staff, you can almost hear the words, “Mission Accomplished.”