By Madina Toure
Nearly 1,200 children and parents from Flushing and other parts of Queens attended a carnival hosted for children by state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) Tuesday morning after PS 120 students were banned from a school carnival back in May.
Promoted as the “Carnival For All Children,” the event took place at PS 20’s Bowne Playground on Union Street between Sanford and Barclay Avenues from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The carnival consisted of games and free lunch in PS 20’s cafeteria from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Kim said the goal of the carnival was to send the message that the area is an inclusive community, especially for activities for children.
“I think in this time and age, there’s so much emphasis on testing, just being so rigorous in our classrooms,” he said. “It’s just unfortunate that when there’s opportunities for children to act like children, they are deprived of that chance like at PS 120.”
This week’s carnival was meant to mitigate the ripple effects from the former PS 120 principal’s decision to ban nearly 100 of her students from a carnival outside in the school yard because their parents did not pay a $10 admission fee. The students were forced to sit in the auditorium of the school, located at 58-01 136th St., as their friends played outside during the regular school day.
F&T Group, the Chinese American Planning Council and carnival company Send in the Clowns Entertainment sponsored the June 30 carnival. Send in the Clowns Entertainment also hosted a carnival for PS 120 students at the PS 120’s playground June 25.
Send in the Clowns was not aware that some students were banned at its original May carnival.
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said that she and many people were upset by the incident at PS 120 and stressed that Queens is a “borough of communities.”
“We don’t want any child to be left out of an event simply because they cannot afford it,” Katz said.
The principal of PS 120 has been removed from her post.
City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) said Tuesday’s carnival was good because it was open to everyone free of charge and that it was important to move forward.
“Even though something’s wrong in the past, we’re correcting it and look forward to the future,” Koo said.
Lois Lee, director of the Queens chapter of the Chinese-American Planning Council at PS 20, said she was pleased with the turnout.
“We got a lot of people here,” Lee said.
Sandip Saini, 27, who lives two blocks from the playground, attended this week’s carnival with her 4-year-old son, who is going to attend PS 244 in the fall. She said she enjoyed the carnival.
“It’s very good,” Saini said.
Rosedale resident Janis Loving, 58, who used to live in Flushing, came with her grandchildren. She said the carnival was an affordable way for kids to have fun.
“Everybody’s finances are not the same,” Loving said.
PS 20 student Sammi Chen, 11, who is an incoming sixth grader, said the carnival was about equality for all students.
“We wanted to make it fair,” Chen said.
Reach reporter Madina Toure by e-mail at mtour
