By Jeanni Ritchie

One of the highlights of every school year for students and teachers alike is Field Day, that magical day where fun is the main objective and it is a reward for months of hard work.

Students across Rapides Parish participated in school-wide field days last week, the games as diverse as the Louisiana weather.

Cherokee Elementary hosted their Field Day after record rains flooded Central Louisiana. The result was the opportunity for an impromptu mud slip and slide that should be a requirement for all future field days. The kids had an absolute blast.

By the time Horseshoe Elementary had their field day the ground had dried up a bit and it was pretty hot making the giant inflatable waterslide a favorite for many students.

“I want to go back down it,” Aniyah Lee, 9, said. Wrapped in towels and snacking on treats from the canteen, Amilya McGlory, 9, and Leia McCoy, 8, agreed.

There were relay races, beach volleyball, parachute play, free play, and tug of war which found students competing against cadets from the Youth Challenge Program.

There was a gaga ball pit, the modern version of dodgeball. That was my least favorite PE game as a kid. But jumping rope was a favorite so I stuck around long enough to turn the rope a few times and joining in with the teacher as we taught them Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear.

I still prefer Cinderella dressed in yellow!!

Field Days are a great bonding experience for classes, the memories of each grade passed forming the basis for a foundation of childhood memories to carry a child through life. These schools weren’t just investing in a day, they were investing in lives.

Jeanni Ritchie can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.