by Zoe Shoemaker ’19, Contributor
Friends’ Central’s annual Pumpkin Fair took place on Sunday, October 26. When I first got there, it brought back so many memories from when I went to the Lower School. Seeing all of the smiling kids made me so excited for the day ahead of me. Moving throughout the different booths, I loved seeing the kids who were so excited when I handed them a ticket. I wanted to do all I could to help the kids and make sure they had a great time. I later went into the haunted house where there was one little girl who was very frightened. I told her that everything was going to be okay and that the haunted house was not real and no one would hurt her. I was so happy to take her through the haunted house without a tear in her eye. One person came up to me and explained how volunteering my time at the Pumpkin Fair really made a difference in the lives of the children there. At first I didn’t really understand the point she was trying to make since all I was doing was having a good time and enjoying myself. I began thinking about what the lady said and was finally able to realize how my little acts of kindness actually meant so much to the kids. I had so much fun at the Pumpkin Fair and l enjoyed taking some time out of my Sunday afternoon to do an act of service. Friends’ Central has taught me how rewarding it can be to give back to my school and community. It helped me realize that I don’t have to just do service in school or for a reward but should do it because I want to do it. I had am amazing time at the Pumpkin Fair and I am glad I was able to make my mark. I hope I was able to be a role model to the younger kids and maybe one day they will choose to help out at the Pumpkin Fair. I hope to become a teacher when I am older and I feel like this helped me see what it was like to work with kids. I can’t wait until next year’s Pumpkin Fair!
I also went to the Halloween parade at the lower school. I hadn’t seen my book buddies since last month so I was very excited. I dressed up as superman and both of my buddies dressed up as Elsa from the movie Frozen. They looked beautiful in their sparkling blue dresses. Seeing the excitement in their eyes made my day. It brought back so many memories for me from my time in lower school. We watched as everyone walked around in their costumes and I loved watching my buddies as they were amazed by the other students’ costumes. I was able to meet both of my book buddies’ parents and loved sharing this wonderful day with them. As I held both of their hands, we walked around the parade with the rest of their class. They had huge smiles on their faces as they waved to everyone. They were jumping and skipping and gave their parents huge hugs when we passed them. So many of their girls dressed as Elsa but I think my buddies were the prettiest princesses at the parade. I loved sharing their excitement about Halloween. We went back to their classroom after the parade and had apple cider and munchkins. I helped them take off their costumes and they thanked me for helping them. It was then time to say goodbye and they both gave me big hugs. It was sad to say goodbye since I only see them once a month. I did leave with a smile on my face knowing how happy they were at the parade. Overall I had an amazing time at the parade and loved being with my buddies. I hope they had a great time trick or treating and I cannot wait until the next time I get to see their cute little faces.