By Shane Braden

Patterson High School hosted its third annual community fair and back to school night on September 19 in the cafeteria. There where 446 people there including over 200 students, making this the largest community fair yet. The purpose of the fair was to bring the community, parents, students and Patterson staff  together. The fair is a chance to to have fun, eat, play games and learn about a variety of programs and opportunities offered by the school and its community partners.

There were also some special performers there who showed everyone their talents. One of the performers was a belly dancer who danced while balancing a sword on her head. Even our principal, Mr. Benton, tried dancing with the sword on his head, as the crowd cheered him on. Another performer did a flamenco dance, which is a type of Spanish dance. She used castanets and danced around as she clapped them in her hands. Patterson students performed as well, including a group of four girls who performed a traditional dance from their home country of Bhutan, along with hip-hop style dancing by sophomore Quincy Mims.

In addition to many school-based organizations and projects like the school garden, Spa La La (which offered  free manicures), DECA, the athletics program, the Health Corps and the Patterson Press, dozens of  organizations from the community also set up information tables at the fair. One of  the groups was CASA de Maryland, a non-profit organization that works to defend the rights of immigrants and offers a free after-school program for college students. Other organizations present at the fair included Afrikan Youth Alchemy, the Real Food Farm, Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse, the Red Cross, Evergreen Health Co-op and several colleges and universities. Free flu vaccinations were provided by Rite Aid.

“I think  it’s outstanding  that there are so many people and different cultures here that interact with each other,” Mr. Benton told the Patterson Press. The community fair has become an important tradition for Patterson High School and event organizer Ms. Kelly Flores hopes to see an even bigger turnout next year.

 

 

(Photos by Anthony Ward and Tamika Addison, Patterson Press)