Jones County Pre-K recently held its enchanting annual Fairy Tale Ball, where students dressed in costumes representing their favorite fairy tale characters, including princesses, princes, and heroic figures.
The festivities featured a variety of themed activities designed to inspire creativity and imagination, promoting a sense of community and joy among students, educators, and parent volunteers.
To kick off the event, the pre-K students received a surprise visit from the Jones County High School Drama Club. High school student volunteers arrived dressed as fairy tale characters, including princesses, fairies, jesters, and even a few villains. They joined the ball and danced with many children, making the pre-K students feel they were interacting with real storybook characters.
Emily Edwards and Cadence Todd, members of the high school drama club, shared their experiences volunteering at the event.
“The kids are so cute and sweet. They try to guess our costumes, and it is amazing,” she commented. “They love to run around and play. If they recognize your character, they run up and hug you.”
Todd also explained why she believes the connection between high school students and younger students in Jones County is important.
“I think it’s helpful because it teaches you how to understand and interact with the kids,” Todd said.
At the ball, students had the opportunity to create paper crowns with stick-on jewels and decorations. Some students had their pictures taken professionally against a whimsical, forest-themed fairytale backdrop, which their families could purchase and enjoy.
Other activities included dancing to Disney music with glowing disco balls, participating in a “Horse Relay Race” with stick horses, playing a “Dragon Toss” game with bean bags, and enjoying the playground, where some students built a “princess sandcastle.”
Many students shared their excitement about several aspects of the event.
While creating their crowns, a few students expressed their enjoyment of the activity.
“I am going to make my crown so sparkly and pretty,” one student remarked.
“Me too!” another said. “Me three!” a third student concluded.
One talked about her favorite princess, Sleeping Beauty, whom she dressed as for the day.
“My favorite princess is ‘Night Girl.’ Yes, I am ‘Night Girl’ because I like to sleep a lot,” the student said.
Another student who helped build the “princess sandcastle” highlighted her imagination, showing the event’s success.
“Our prince is coming to save the princess castle because there are monsters inside,” the student added.
Educators Georgia Sanders and Madison Haskins expressed their enjoyment of the event.
“It is such an awesome tradition that we look forward to every year,” Sanders said.
“It is so much fun for the students to dress up. It gives them an opportunity to do something exciting between the Christmas and Easter holidays, and it ties into our curriculum. We have been teaching students about popular fairy tales, including ‘The Three Little Pigs’ and ‘Jack and the Beanstalk,’ as well as lesser-known stories like ‘Princess Hyacinth,’” Haskins added.
Parent volunteer Marian Lewis also expressed her gratitude to the educators of Jones County Pre-K for providing the children with this excellent opportunity to enjoy and express themselves.
“My daughter wore a fancy dress because she wanted to be a queen. She was so excited to dance at the ball with her friends and see everyone’s costumes. I think this is awesome. I did not know it was going to happen, but it’s such a fun extra activity for the kids,” Lewis said.
