Nothing like good, clean fun

Danette Goulet

CORONA DEL MAR -- Children greeted the lazy days of summer with a day of

intense activity Tuesday at Our Lady Queen of Angels School.

It was students’ last full day of classes at the private Catholic school

in Corona del Mar and it was spent jumping in bounce houses, tossing bean

bags and footballs and dousing each other with water balloons.

For some, a highlight was indulging in snow cones and cotton candy -- a

new addition this year’s field day.

“I’ve had too much sugar. I’ve had too much sugar,” sang 10-year-old

Kimmy Von Der Ahe as she skipped down the sidewalk.

“She had two snow cones and two cotton candies,” classmate Hannah Potter

confirmed.

But the day was not all about junk food.

“It was so fun to try to beat everyone,” said 10-year-old Jackie Dandan.

Students from the entire school -- preschool through the seventh grade,

were assembled into 18 color-coded teams with two children from each

grade level. They competed in 16 different events, with the older

students watching out for the younger ones, said Eileen Ryan,

co-principal.

“The water balloon toss is by far the best because you either get

drenched or win,” said 13-year-old John Hoppe.

After five hours of competing in the blazing sun, the winning team was

announced.

“We won first place,” said Nick Klein, a third-grader. “We had a lot of

young kids, but they were really good.”

Other than an exhausted smile on his face, Nick’s hands were empty of

prizes and trophies.

So what did the children get for winning events?

“Happiness,” Jackie said.

“Pride,” Kimmy pipped.

“It’s just fun to play,” added 10-year-old Laura Soukup.