AMESBURY — From cornhole to karaoke to outdoor sledding, Amesbury High School students were all laughs and smiles Friday as they ended their day with the annual AHS Winter Carnival.
“This is really cool,” freshman David Samuels said.
Winter Carnival, run by the AHS Student Advisory Council, started during COVID and has since grown into a yearly tradition.
This year’s iteration, held from 1 to 2:30 p.m., took over the entire first floor of the school, with activities like sledding and snow painting set up outside.
Inside, students were able to move around area to area playing giant Jenga, basketball, cornhole, chess, and more.
Some students eagerly moved throughout the halls partaking in a scavenger hunt, while others took the chance to hang out and decompress.
Samuels said he thought it was great that they got to spend the end of Friday with a carnival.
“I am most looking forward to sledding,” Samuels said.
He said he was very happy to see sports like spike-ball and basketball offered.
“I might go play those later,” Samuels said.
Waiting for his turn to step onto the basketball court, junior Ben Berg said he has been happy watching the Winter Carnival tradition expand each year.
“It’s a fun time playing basketball, everyone is just having a good time,” Berg said.
He said he was grateful that the Student Advisory Council has kept the event going.
“I think it’s smart, it could definitely lead to stuff later in life organizing things like this,” Berg said.
Running the table for scavenger hunt prizes, AHS English teacher Dara McGonagle spoke about what kids were searching for including members of the school’s Hall of Honor, information on the upcoming school play, and more.
“These are all things we want students to explore the school and get to know it better,” McGonagle said.
She said she loves the concept of the Winter Carnival.
“I really love it because its about being in touch with the students, and not just the students we’re so aware of because they happen to stand out in some way,” McGonagle said.
She said she also likes that it gives kids an opportunity they might not otherwise have been able to afford.
“This is a free event, not something at night or a fundraiser where they have to pay, so this is really something where they are like lets have something for everybody,” McGonagle said.
Students were not the only ones who felt like they were getting the day off.
“The staff definitely likes to get involved and have fun, too,” McGonagle said.
Matt Petry covers Amesbury and Salisbury for The Daily News of Newburyport. Email him at: mpetry@northofboston.com.