If you have ever been to a carnival you would know that for every game you play there’s a trick to winning the prize. But being manipulated is not the main intent of carnivals, they are events that are filled with fatty food, lots of games, and some quality time with the buddies.

However the same trick tactic could be seen at the carnival games at the Mckinley Carnival. Their annual event was held on April 17, 2015 at Mckinley Elementary School in Ham Lake specifically for the students who attend the elementary school. The school has just celebrated being open for 50 years, and why not celebrate it with their favorite annual carnival!

It was brought to our attention that the money gained from the carnival is used to buy new equipment for the school, such as laptops or new playground equipment for the kids. The teachers and staff thought that having a school carnival was the perfect idea to raise money and have the school gathered together in one place to spend some quality time together and enjoy themselves.

The carnival is run mostly by student volunteers who want volunteer hours, or they want to support a sibling attending the school. The student- parent volunteer ratio was about 3:1, with there being parent volunteers to help monitor that everything is fully functioning and that everything goes as planned. There were 18 games, some of them include facepainting, a photo booth, pop toss, tugboat prize, spin the wheel, and more. The games have changed over the years, but they intend to keep the games that everyone loves.

Ally Brynteson(9) suggests that a good way to win a pop from the pop toss is to “lean forward and toss lightly, just try your hardest.” The prize awarded to the person who wins is a two-liter pop. The pop is donated by third, fourth and fifth graders and which ever classroom in each grade donates the most pop receives a pizza party for their effort and support of the pop toss. When going to the carnival there will be a long line for the pop toss which is the most popular game as well as a long time favorite. The photo booth comes in a close second, with spin the wheel in third.

Lisa H. the head volunteer says that the carnival is hosted every year because “ It’s super fun” and “everyone loves it.” She has been coming to the carnival for six years and does not plan to stop coming even though her child will no longer be going to Mckinley any more. Lisa states that “lots of kids still come back for the carnival even after they leave this school, It’s just a fun get together that everyone likes.”

As you can tell the Carnival at McKinley has highly influenced the culture within the school and it brings a whole new atmosphere that includes everyone in the community. Not only does it influence and further the culture found in the school, it also earns money for the school in a entertaining way for everyone to enjoy.