MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Students at M.C. Perry Elementary School enjoyed a day off from school work during a field meet here May 22.
Individual classes rotated from one activity to the next as a loud horn sounded for everyone to hear.
“Where are my crazy dancers?” yelled Annalisa Duerden, an excited volunteer mom who provided both fun hula-hoop exercises and young, energetic music for students to dance to.
“I never got out during the hula-hoop game,” said Kabel Player, a second grader at M.C. Perry, after playing a game similar to musical chairs.
Children cheered on their peers as friendly rivalries of boys versus girls competed in activities like sack races and maneuvering through a course while balancing a ball on a spoon.
As it grew closer to lunch time, the sun hid behind the clouds, and the kids rushed to hide under trees and tents as it started to rain.
“I got cold and wet but it was still fun,” said Hannah Pruitt, a second grader at M.C. Perry. “My favorite part was trying to find our shoes.”
“Mine was playing with the parachutes,” chimed in another classmate, Gabby Calderon,as the group of friends huddled together to hide from the rain.
After the rain cleared up they all went back out to finish up the field meet. Students laughed and giggled as they stumbled and fell in the wet grass while whole classes attempted to jump rope at the same time.
Teachers, volunteers and children danced to the Cupid Shuffle and dared see how low they could go during a game of limbo.
Three loud horn blasts blew to finish off the field meet. Kids rushed to pick up their water bottles, cones and play equipment and then ran off to fill their hungry little bellies with something to eat.