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Renaissance Awakens TJ Spirit

October 29, 2007

TJ's EPYCS club raises funds for the community at large.     

by Ben Gilliland

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      On the afternoon of October 23, 2007 the students of Thomas Jefferson High School enjoyed food and fun activities as the school hosted its annual Renaissance Carnival.
      The Renaissance Carnival is put on every year by TJ’s EPYCS (El Pomar Youth in Community Service) Club, which is headed up by Spanish Teacher Joanne Moreno. The mission of EPYCS is to give out grant money to local non-profit organizations in the state of Colorado. In order to get that grant money the school's club must raise at least $500, so at TJ the organization hosts the Renaissance Carnival. All of the ticket sales money goes towards the El Pomar challenge. “A carnival is a fun, fast, and easy way to raise money, and the kids always have a good time,” said Moreno.
      At the carnival different school organizations set up booths and hosted activates to raise money. The class of 2008 organized a dodge ball tournament in the gym, and all the money raised went towards their prom at the end of the year. NHS (the National Honor Society) made and sold banana splits, and hosted Guitar Hero tournaments in the dance room. TJ’s choir offered karaoke in the cafeteria, and the Special Ed kids sold candy and other Halloween treats. Other groups that participated in the carnival included boys' basketball, softball, DECA, and Avid.
      Another fun tradition at the Renaissance Carnival is the walk the plank competition (this year sponsored by Coach Mike Laurita and the wrestling team). Each year certain teachers or groups of teachers are nominated to jump in the pool during the carnival, and students put money in their respective jars to see them jump in.  The group with the greatest amount donated by the end of the carnival has the honors of jumping into the pool at the urging of the student body. This year it was a tie between the football coaches and the women teachers. At the end of the carnival football coaches Tim Owens, Bill Burns, Kirk Hammond, Matt Nicolo, and teachers Tiffany Burkle, Aimee Witulski, and Cynthia Castillo jumped into the pool. After the teachers and coaches jumped in, the students were greeted with another surprise when Assistant Principal Scott Lessard and security guard Woody Bonner decided to jump in too. Both Lessard and Witulski were divers in their youth, and they showed off some of their moves to the students.
      “Overall, the carnival was a big success. Everyone raised a lot of money for their respective clubs, and most importantly the students had a fun time and enjoyed themselves,” said Moreno.

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Written by Ben Gilliland · Filed Under Headlines, News