This festival was fantastico!
Kids donned sombreros, got their faces painted, and gobbled down cotton candy at the Connie Lekas School’s Cinco de Mayo Family Arts Festival on May 5. A staff member at the school for students with special needs said the Sheepshead Bay institution seeks to help its kids thrive inside and outside of the classroom.
“Sometimes these kids don’t have anything to do on weekends,” said Yvonne Costello. “It was definitely a nice way to give them something fun to do.”
The festival took place in the school gym, and also included a bouncy house, balloon animals, and Mexican music. The event was open to kids at the school and their families, as well as its staff and their families, but also welcomed members of the Sheepshead Bay community. The Connie Lekas School serves students from ages 12 to 21 who have severe multiple disabilities, according to the school.
The face painting and cotton candy were big hits with the children on Saturday.
“It was very enjoyable,” said Costello. “There were lots of different activities for all kids and adults too.”
The Cinco de Mayo-themed family day isn’t the only event the school puts on for its students and the local community. On many weekends, there are opportunities for the kids to wind down, have fun, and learn. Other activities held there include an autism awareness day, other arts events, and movie screenings. One reason the school is so active outside the classroom is because of the difficulties their students can have socializing with other kids, and the abundance of things to do is one of the school’s strengths, according to Costello.
“There’s always so many activities on the weekends,” she said. “It’s a great thing the principal does for the community.”
