Nottingham Elementary celebrated the school's 50th anniversary with a memorable and fun-filled carnival on Friday, October 26, 2018. 

an article from the SBISD's The School Zone

Nottingham carnival celebrates 50 years

It’s always a great time to be a Nottingham Knight!

 

More than 500 people attended Nottingham Elementary’s 50th Anniversary Carnival on Friday, Oct. 26. The big outdoor carnival was complemented by a smaller library event with colorful birthday cake and display of a dazzling, special-project time capsule book.

 

Community, fun and fundraising were the main themes of the carnival and celebration. Nottingham has come a long way since school doors opened in the late 1960s, and the neighborhood has shown true grit in that journey, most recently after Hurricane Harvey impacted many area residents.

 

“It was certainly a great day to be a Nottingham Knight by seeing so much love from community, volunteers, parents and PTA come together and make this possible,” said Principal Roy Moore. “The event was a huge success with past teachers, students and parents coming out to show their continued support.”

 

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Fundraising alone wasn’t a critical measure of the anniversary carnival’s success, but a $5,000 goal for various campus initiatives was easily exceeded with more than $22,000 received, organizers said.

 

“I couldn’t be more pleased to be a Nottingham Knight,” said 50th Anniversary Carnival Chair Julie Walla, echoing the principal. “We had fun planning for the 50th celebration, and so many families, staff, volunteers and community partners rose to the occasion, making this event fun for our students and a successful school fundraiser. We hope to continue the fun for years to come!”

 

Anniversary celebration organizers put together several special projects ahead of time, separate from the carnival evening games, activities and a popular goat petting exhibit.

 

First, an aerial photograph was taken with all Nottingham students, teachers and staff standing on the school’s back field to form the number “50.” The photograph has been framed and displayed in the school’s front office, and included in a time capsule book.

 

The time capsule book project is designed to be kept by the school and then displayed when the school turns 75 years old. It includes a contribution by every grade level, with index card responses by every student to teacher prompt questions.

 

Student responses are included from questions that ranged from “What is your favorite toy of 2018?” to “What do you think Nottingham will look like in 25 years? Other student responses are included to these questions: “What do you think the future will look like?” and “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

 

Nottingham families also rose to the occasion with the carnival by making donations so that every student had the opportunity to attend and enjoy ticketed games and activities. The organizers also made sure that food truck vendors provided meals for all students, regardless of ability to pay.

 

“Nottingham Elementary’s Carnival and 50th Celebration was truly a wonderful event. Thank you to Julia Walla and her team!” exclaims PTA President Stephanie Rasch. “I believe that Nottingham Elementary is the heart of our small community and so many families, Nottingham staff and student volunteers came together to make this special event a success.”

 

Joining Principal Moore and others in the library for birthday cake were several middle school students, as well as 2001 Nottingham graduate Alonso Torres, who works now with BNSF Railway in Los Angeles as a hub operations manager.

 

A 2009 Stratford High graduate, Torres recalls the fourth-grade Nutcracker play and a special event appearance by the Salt Lake City Olympics torch bearer, who he met as one the school’s chosen student representatives.

 

Nottingham and SBISD’s secondary schools helped him be successful. How? “Study skills, commitment to everything I was involved in, and the drive to do better, and to better myself,” Torres said.

Now that sounds like a Nottingham Knight speaking!

 

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