Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s Operation Elementary club had its very first event of the year on October 18. The club helped run a Fall Fest at Adamsville Primary School, interacting with younger students and their families while completing fun activities.

Operation Elementary is a club that specializes in enhancing the childhood experience as members of the club are given various opportunities to help carry out events hosted by the primary schools at Bridgewater-Raritan. 

Members of the club quickly signed up for the club’s first volunteer opportunity, which was to volunteer at Adamsville Elementary School’s first-ever Fall Fest.

Adamsville’s Parent Teacher Organization  (PTO) members waited in the cafeteria and began to let the high school students into the school at roughly 3:30 p.m. Ample time was necessary for all the activities and decorations to be set up.

Upon arrival, students were welcomed by the PTO and were provided with a brief introduction on what would be happening in the school’s gymnasium and cafeteria. They were then split into groups of  three to four  and asked what location they would prefer to stay in and be responsible for during the remainder of the event. Students who were not familiar with the school were given an illustrated map of the school’s layout for reference.

Stations were set up in the school’s gymnasium for the elementary students to play at with the help of the Operation Elementary volunteers. The stations included hook-a-duck, tic-tac-toe, bean bag toss and pony lasso. A large portion of the school’s cafeteria was also set up for: food and beverages; arts and crafts; and temporary tattoos, again with the help of the volunteers.

There were also tables set up for the school’s pumpkin decorating contest which was held in the cafeteria. The pumpkin decorating contest was one of the seasonal festivities that attracted many of the elementary school students and parents.

Adamsville students and their parents began arriving to the event at 6:20 and were immediately satisfied with the scenery of the new event. Many fall decorations were set up to set the mood.

Sophomore Alyson Morera, an Operation Elementary member who attended the event, described her memorable experience volunteering. 

“I spoke to one of the teachers at the event and was told this was a new occasion that the school created to celebrate the arrival of the fall season. I thoroughly enjoyed this idea and loved volunteering for it. Additionally, the staff were extremely amiable and patient. I’d certainly come back for the next Fall Fest,” she said.

The Adamsville Fall Fest began at 6:30 p.m. and concluded at 8 p.m. The Operation Elementary club looks forward to hosting more events like this in the future, leaving a positive mark on the BR community.