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Elementary School Parades Its Knowledge With 'Chasco-Rilla'

Klint Lowry/SUNCOAST

Chasco Elementary School kindergartener Alphard Credo shows father Johnny and little sister Kristene the diorama he made while learning about Florida's marine life during last week’s Chasco-Rilla celebration.

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By KLINT LOWRY | The Suncoast News

Published: March 3, 2009

Updated:

When your school shares its name with the biggest annual festival in the area, it figures Chasco Elementary School would be something a "party school."

Let's just say the school has found a constructive way to mix work and play.

At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, although the final bell had rung hours earlier, the school was still filled, because along with just about every student and faculty member, students' families were there, too, whooping it up at an event dubbed Chasco-Rilla.

Like other schools throughout the district, Chasco Elementary School teachers and students have been hard at work the last six weeks.

"Part of the curriculum this year for Pasco County Learning, for Sunshine State standards is 'How is Florida Unique,' " Assistant Principal Judy Cosh said.

It's a wide-ranging theme that can cover a lot of academic ground, particularly in the areas of science and social studies, not to mention the potential for art and writing.

With this theme resonating in their minds for six weeks, it occurred to staff members that this unit was ending right between two big annual blowouts, Gasparilla, in Tampa and Chasco Fiesta, in New Port Richey. What a better way for everyone to blow off some steam, congratulate themselves on a job well done and most importantly let students show their parents what they've been doing in school than to pay tribute to this aspect of Florida culture.

"We decided to take that curriculum content of social studies and turn it into a celebration of learning for our community," Cosh said.

And with that, Chasco-Rilla was born.

As families arrived, teachers and administrators greeted them wearing Bermuda shorts, floppy hats and such. The school had gotten the party atmosphere started earlier with a "tacky tourist costume contest."

Just as with the big events that inspired it, the centerpiece of Chasco-rilla was a parade. Learning teams lined up, carrying signs and other props and dressed in symbolic costumes, they marched a winding route around the school in an alphabetical representation of the various aspects of Florida they had covered. They carried palm trees and other flora.

One group was covered in paper oranges. Like at many parades, outlandish headgear was popular, from Mickey Mouse ears to manatees. One cluster of students had shaggy green hats that pointed upward - they were the Everglades.

Of course, with any good parade, the main accoutrement for marchers and spectators alike is beads, and Chasco-Rilla was no different.

"Oriental Trading is our friend," Cosh said. The company gave them a huge discount on hundreds of strings of beads.

After the parade, the students led their parents around past what amounted to a bazaar of student projects on display outside the classrooms. There was a craft fair of student-created, Florida-themed artwork. There was also an iMovie that gave an overview of the just-completed Florida unit screened.

For those who wanted a literal taste of Florida culture, the cafeteria was serving up "Jimmy Buffet burgers in paradise," Key lime pie and other subtropical treats.

In the past, Cosh said, they have learned that rather than inviting parents for conferences and that sort of thing, the best way to get them to come out and see what's going on at school is to frame the presentation as a family-time event.

The festival theme served the purpose well. After about 90 fast minutes, families came away with big smiles, a fresh string or two of beads, maybe a souvenir, full stomachs and a better sense of what their kids are doing in school all day

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