Inaugural Winterfest was a success
St. Marys Area High School Ecology Club Advisor Jamie Caskey has declared the club’s inaugural Winterfest, which was held Thursday at the St. Marys Area Outdoor Classroom, to have been a success.
“There was a very steady flow of people in and out all night, right up to 7 p.m.,” Caskey said.
The event was held from 4-7 p.m. and featured fundraising booths manned by students from various clubs at the high school, as well as a variety of other activities.
Students in the Ecology Club had pizza, pop, and water for sale, and also gave attendees the opportunity to create birdseed ornaments. They also had a raffle and clothing order.
“The high school Ecology Club set up and organized the event to help bring awareness to the community of the offerings of the outdoor classroom and also the great opportunities high school clubs provide for our students and community,” Caskey said. “The Ecology Club was hoping for more outdoor winter play, but because of the weather provided more indoor activities such as cornhole, cards, and Jenga.”
According to Caskey, the German Club, under the direction of advisor Lena Gavazzi, sold spaetzle soup; Team Renaissance, under the direction of advisor Danielle Brody, did a valentine card activity for nursing home residents; Student Government, under the direction of advisor Chris Woodford, sold chili; HOSA, under the direction of advisor Angie Catalone, sold baked goods and played medical bingo; the Robotics Club, under the direction of advisors Heather Beck and Brenton Rieger, donated s’more kits and roasted marshmallows; and Dutch Manufacturing, under the direction of advisor Jesse Schreiber, sold student-made products, decals, and keychains.
Additionally, Ben Porkolab represented the Keystone Elk Country Alliance and gave attendees a chance to win prizes while also learning about elk antler scoring, Nick Rhoades provided music and was the DJ for the event, and Rick Gabler provided attendees with an opportunity to try their hands at frisbee golf.
“Ben Schneider, Imagine Plasma Cut Art, provided the fire rings for the Ecology Club raffle, along with gift baskets from Elk Life and PA Made,” Caskey said. “Superintendent Dr. Harley Ramsey was on hand to help educate the community on the fish nursery.”
The various booths were set up throughout the outdoor classroom, and Caskey acknowledged that the space worked well for the event.
“I like the space for this event,” Caskey said. “I would like to see it remain in the outdoor classroom and possibly grow to have booths outside as well.”
While all of the food offerings were equally enjoyed by attendees, Caskey noted that s’mores bar made for a lot of sticky fun for youngsters in attendance.
“Talks are already occurring about what we can do better for next year,” Caskey said. “There were smiles and laughter all night from the community that attended to the student workers and even the advisors. I think we would all like to see this become an annual event. I am not sure what the timing of the event will be, but I would expect it to remain in February.”
Caskey expressed her gratitude to the community for all of the generosity and support received to make the inaugural Winterfest a success.
“Our students are doing amazing things, and it is really nice to be able to provide a platform for the community to see this,” Caskey said. “I hope everyone enjoyed the food, music, and activities, and will come back again for the second annual Winterfest in 2024.”