Published: October 22, 2009 02:27 pm      

Rio Vista schools and city merge to host Rio Fest

Rio Vista ISD doesn’t merely feed off its community like most country school districts. It relies on its community.

Saturday, the Rio Vista school district and community merge forces for the annual Rio Fest. Events will be from 4-8 p.m. in and outside the elementary school, weather permitting.

“Bingo will be in the cafeteria,” said elementary school Principal Chris Nichols said. “Games will be outside, weather permitting. We’ll have a band set up outside.”

Rio Fest is sponsored by the Rio Vista Kids Parents Teachers Organization and was born several years ago when organizers decided to combined two fall events, a carnival and community celebration.

“They were pretty close to each other on the schedule,” Nichols said, “The community celebration started about four years ago. The fall carnival had been going on forever.

“It’s a great opportunity for the community to be involved in the schools. We have games and a band, bingo, a spook house, a bounce house, a hay ride, a cakewalk and a concession stand, all carnival type things. Bingo really brings in the adults. We don’t have a dunking booth this year.”

The majority of the money raised goes to Rio Vista KPT.

“We get quite a few donations from the community,” Nichols said. We depend on that. KPT uses the money for various things for the elementary campus. Last September, it was able to purchase $16,000 in playground equipment. It took several years to do that. If a group wants to come in from the high school and middle school and sponsor something like a spook house, that group can keeps its proceeds.”

KPT is a highly active version of a parent-teacher association.

“At the first of the year, KPT helps welcome kids and staff members,” Nichols said. “It decorates the front of the building. It sponsors mascot pictures and helps run our book fairs in the fall and spring. It has membership drives and various activities for the kids to reward them for their efforts.”

Among Rio Vista Elementary’s most successful projects is an animal shelter fundraiser sponsored by fourth-grade teacher Jessica Kahanek.

“This is her second year to do that,” Nichols said. “People donate things like dog food and cat litter. If they want to give money, that’s fine, too. Last year, the Cleburne Animal Shelter people came out here to get the donations and talk to the kids. This year, we’d like to have some of the kids and parents take donations to the shelter.”

Animals learn from humans. In this case, humans also learn from animals.

“There’s some giving back,” Nichols said. “Kids are learning to take care of pets who need help and can’t fend for themselves. We’re very conscientious about helping in this community.”

Also upcoming on the Rio Vista Elementary calendar is a Christmas-related program in December.

“Our music teacher, Nikki Febinger, does that,” Nichols said. “It’s not just singing. They put on little plays. We also have UIL going on right now. Meghan York is in charge of that.”

Rio Vista Elementary is accustomed to being a Texas Education Agency recognized school. That’s one step below where Nichols would like his school to be.

“We’re shooting for exemplary,” he said. “We’re constantly offering our teachers professional development and constantly trying to bring up reading skills of the students. We always want to improve reading, writing and math skills.”

The community can assist in those endeavors too.

“We’ve had some volunteers come in to read to the children,” Nichols said. “We also have a middle school pal program. Middle School kids come over and work with our children four days a week in a big brother or big sister way. They help with students who need some attention, whether it be academically or socially.”