MONTICELLO — A Back2School Bash hosted by the district last week gave local families a chance to celebrate the end of the summer while setting their sights on a new school year.
Held outdoors on the track field at Monticello Middle School in the late afternoon through evening of Wednesday, Aug. 21, the event included fun activities for kids, community booths, a trio of food trucks, visits from emergency responders and free school supplies.
“This is a great opportunity to bring families together, get everyone excited to get back, get supplies to families and set everyone up for success,” said co-organizer Sarah Welk, Monticello Public Schools’ newly named director of student services.
It was the district’s second-ever Back2School Bash, an event that was first held in 2022, but was canceled last year due to extreme heat.
The inaugural event was held in the parking lot of the middle school, but saw such a large turnout, with about 1,200 in attendance, that organizers moved it this year to the bigger field area.
It turned out to be a smart move, making space for all manner of fun for the younger set, from bounce houses and face painting, to balloon animals, radio-controlled car racing, free hot dogs and even the opportunity to climb aboard a helicopter, ambulance or police cruiser.
Over at one of the inflatable bouncy houses, mom Kalyn Fox was watching as her soon-to-be kindergartner, Amelia, bounced her heart out among other youngsters.
“She’s having such a fun time,” Kalyn said of her daughter. “She just got a little unicorn tattoo on her arm. She’s having a blast.”
The tattoos and face painting came courtesy of two colorful clowns, Cupcake and Flapjack, each sporting purple and orange hairdos, who entertained the crowd as they made their grand entrance on a tandem bicycle.
Nearby, Monticello teen Rylee Hallberg was impressing the crowd with her balloon artistry, handing out a menagerie of balloon animals to kids, and taking requests too.
Three-year-old Finnegan Carter asked for a dog, and Rylee quickly granted his request, presenting him with a blue poodle after a few twists and turns.
Watching the action, Superintendent of Schools Eric Olson was pleased with the high turnout and happy faces.
“This is fun and exciting,” he said. “It brings people together and it showcases how we’re all in this together, the whole community.”
Indeed, the Back2School Bash is the result of community support and partnership, including the distribution of free backpacks full of supplies, which students of all ages were able to take home.
“I bet you we had 500 backpacks ready to go for the kids,” said Welk, who explained these were purchased with the help of donations from local businesses and organizations.
“We were fortunate to get a lot of donations from community businesses,” she said. “We have a partnership with Cargill and we were able to buy the supplies. We’re fortunate that local people, churches and groups also dropped off supplies to be able to fill the backpacks.”
Manning the backpack and supply table were two of the city’s newest Royal Ambassadors, Aurorah Kimble and Claudia Martin, on hand to assist families.
Making her way over to the table, Annabelle Norton, 10, who is going into fifth grade at Pinewood Elementary School, quickly zeroed in on her new backpack, finding one in shades of her favorite colors, which also happened to match her outfit.
“I love teal and I like pink and this mixes both colors,” she said of her choice.
After hitting the supply booth, Kylee Lee, 13, going into eighth grade at MMS, was sporting her new pink Hello Kitty backpack as she walked around with friends.
“How cute that you see kids walking around with their backpacks,” Welk said, adding that they had a variety of designs on hand to satisfy all ages, likes and personalities.
In another community collaboration at the Back2School Bash, emergency responders were on hand with their various vehicles, giving families an inside peek at an ambulance, sheriff’s SUV and even a Life Link helicopter, which grabbed everyone’s attention as it made a noisy landing in the field.
“Community engagement — there’s nothing better,” Welk said. “How many kids can stop in and see an ambulance or a helicopter?”
A long queue of families eagerly lined up, awaiting their turn to climb aboard the emergency medical helicopter.
Wearing a big smile and a pair of neon green shades, Weston Hickman, 3, of Monticello was “very excited” to check out the chopper, his mom said.
Over at the long stretch of community booths, a furry, four-legged friend was garnering almost as much attention.
Monticello 11-year-old Anthony Moore, going into sixth grade at MMS, was just one of the many kids who made a beeline to pet River, a fluffy 2-year-old golden retriever with a cream-colored coat, a therapy dog visiting with You’re Not Alone.
The local nonprofit partners with school districts in Minnesota and beyond, bringing volunteer therapy dog teams into schools to support students and staff in a variety of ways, including one of its other pups, Willow, a regular visitor at Monticello Middle School.
Other groups with booths at the event included Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts, Wright County Public Health, Rivers of Hope, Just Drive, Lucille Murray’s dance studio, the All Night Grad Party and various sports teams.
After meeting River and taking a few basketball shots at another booth, Anthony, who will soon be starting his first year at MMS, said he’s excited for a “new school and new friends.”
Welk, too, is invigorated by the start of a new year.
“You just see a bunch of smiles,” she said. “It’s always fun to be able to see kids and their excitement and energy.”
“It’s always exciting to see the hallways filled again,” she continued. “There’s just an opportunity to teach kids so many things, not just academically.”
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