To promote good health  The Curtis Health Center  hosted a carnival on Friday, February 28.  The student cafeteria was customized with posters promoting healthy habits and tables with different activities. Teachers, staff members, students, and others from outside of Curtis flocked to the event from 3:30 to 7 p.m.

To  raise money for colon cancer Laurie Dagheslano, a parent volunteer, collected one dollar from each student who attended.

Jamie Rogers, a sophomore, was motivated by personal experience to organize the Colon Cancer charity part of the event. “My aunt was diagnosed with colon cancer and it had spread throughout her body, but she beat it in the end,” Rogers said. Her dentist was also affected: ”He went through all the radiation treatment.”

Besides colon cancer, many different volunteer groups were there to represent their campaigns.  Mr. Adhim DeVeaux, an employee at the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), came to promote his Anti-Bullying Campaign by distributing pamphlets and pins to students.

Another drive headed by Savannah Helton, a social worker, promoted the awareness of domestic violence by concentrating on healthy communication with others, such as peers and spouses. These campaign efforts are represented locally in many other schools as well.

In addition to the educational aspect of the event, there were fun activities and games. These included the 2014 Just Dance, Pacman for PS2, A Graffiti Wall, and a health trivia game. There was also a healthy selfie booth. Students were able to put on accessories and take pictures as many times as they pleased.

The fun activities even carried over into the healthy eating aspect of the event.  The health clinic, which is affiliated with the Children’s Aid Society, educated people on healthy eating by providing event-goers a “taste” of ways to eat healthy.  A chef from the Children’s Aid Society came to Curtis to teach students how to make healthy meals, which they prepared at the event.  Healthy foods consisted of apples, bananas, carrots, strawberries, yogurt, and delightful salad wraps that were distributed to everyone who attended. The main goal was to show that eating healthy is not just nutritious but also very delicious. “It makes you feel good and gives you energy,” said D’Arcy Hearn, the community health center liaison.

A polar bear mascot also lent a fun, lighthearted touch to the event. Trudy Reed, a senior, volunteered to be the mascot at the weekly Health Center meetings on Thursdays after 10th period.