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The smell of hotdogs and hamburgers being grilled filled the air as loud pop music competed with the squeals and laugher of hundreds of children. That was the scene Friday at Pound Ridge Elementary School during its annual Field Day event. This is one of the greatest events we have, said Dan Fraioli, a parent volunteer who was manning the grill. Its the highlight of the school year. Field Day provides the students with an opportunity to get outside at the end of the school year and engage in some silly races, soak up some sun and, of course, gorge themselves on burgers, dogs and watermelon. They have been doing the Field Day event forever, said Principal Peter Politi, but I brought the cookout idea when I came here five years ago. It was something we did at my last school. For the competition part of the event, the squads are broken down by grade and then into teams. They run relay races, agility courses and compete in tug-of-wars. At noon, the races stop and its time to eat. The PTA and the Police Benevolent Association co-sponsor the event. Actually, [Pound Ridge Police Chief] Dave Ryan paid for hot dogs and hamburgers out of his own pocket, Politi said. The PTA does the rolls, chips, condiments and things like that. Politi pointed out that Field Day is truly a community event and noted that there were nearly 20 volunteers involved. Chris Giradri, PTA president, agreed. The whole community really comes together parents, teachers, kids. We really love it. As for the kids, theyre just happy to get outside and run around when they would normally be stuck in the classroom. We like getting out of the classroom, said 10-year-old Fury Sgaglia. We dont have to do any learning. Sgaglias classmate, Grace Bartlett, 10, said she really appreciates the cookout. Its easier for the kids because we dont have to make our lunch, she said. Everybody looks forward to this.
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