Lakeside Primary hopes to hold annual circus on July 31

Lakeside Primary School plans to hold its 44th annual Kindergarten Circus on July 31, if pandemic restrictions have been lifted by then.

This year marks the 44th year that the primary school has held the circus, an event created by two kindergarten teachers, Lynn Linington and Tricia Cook, said Lakeside Primary Principal Julie Burroughs.

“It was an event to celebrate the end of the school year for the kindergarteners, much like you would have a kindergarten graduation. For the last 44 years, we’ve never had that traditional kindergarten graduation. We’ve always had the kindergarten circus, so it’s quite a legacy,” she said.

The circus gives students a fun way to celebrate their accomplishments for the whole year. Celeste Henley, the school’s music teacher, teaches the students songs for each of the specific acts in the circus, Burroughs said.

“It’s a good way for the kids to work together and bring our families together and celebrate all the work that’s been done for their kindergarten year,” she said.

Burroughs said Henley started preparing the students a few weeks before the circus to teach them the different songs. Typically, the students would practice for a small amount of time

in the mornings, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school had to practice online.

She said on the day of the circus, the students have a rehearsal they usually perform for all of the other students in the building.

“Sometimes, the kids from the intermediate (school) will come down and watch us so that the children will know what it’s like to perform in front of a crowd, and then we (will) perform that evening,” Burroughs said.

The students will do all of the traditional things the circus has done in the past, but have had to do virtually. The children this year have been learning their songs and the acts, and what all the acts do, through their Google Classrooms with their teachers and Henley.

The lineup will include lions, elephants, acrobats, weightlifters, magicians and seals. One thing the school added this year is two ringmasters, a boy and a girl from the kindergarten class, Burroughs said.

She said all the students who wanted to try out for ringmaster were put in a Zoom waiting room. The circus committee’s judges then judged each student who tried out.

“The ringmaster has to be able to read their lines because they have certain lines that they have to read for each act that introduces the entire circus, and then they introduce each of the acts and kind of keep the whole show going,” Burroughs said.

“They have to have those leadership skills. They have to have excitement in their voices and to be able to get the crowd going and to stay interested in each of the acts,” she said.

Burroughs said the school is waiting on Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to give the school the clearance to do the circus in person.

“Our hopes are that we will continue to do the circus on July 31 in person. If not, we’ll have to do it later on in the year whenever we can have a gathering that large,” she said.

“I’m retiring in June, and it’s one of these things (where) I’m excited to have closure with this group of kids. I never dreamed that March 13 was going to be the last day that I would get to hug my kids and see my kids in person at school, ” Burroughs said.

“So, I think it’ll be a fantastic reunion, and nice closure to not only their school year but my years at Lakeside as well and teaching for that matter,” she said.