Jenny To
The tea party event was a great way to welcome spring and celebrate Easter.
This year, Cardozo hosted a tea party and egg hunt event that brought children under the age of 14 from the Bayside community along with families, students and staff together for a day of fun celebration.
The atmosphere was filled with laughter and excitement as everyone gathered outside near the Annex, which was decorated with colorful spring-themed decorations. Students and staffed dressed up as characters from Alice in Wonderland, to fit the tea party theme.
To enter, each child under the age of 12 had to pay $5, with accompanying adults free of charge. The event started at 5 p.m. and ran until 7 p.m. Once individuals entered the yard, they were able to see areas of activities they were able to do. There were games to play, areas to make bunny masks, a ring toss, egg dying, pin the tail on the bunny, Simon says, and so many more. In the field area, students dropped eggs filled with treats and surprises for them to find. The highlight for young ones was the blow up bouncy house.
After an hour had passed with so many games played, it was the perfect time for the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Entering the Annex, students and staff helped make the food, set it up, and made sure everyone was having a good time. There were different types of drinks attendees got to choose from such as iced tea and pink lemonade. There were cupcakes, cookies, candies, dirt cups with gummy worms in them, tiramisu, and so many other delicious treats. The tables were decorated with Easter decorations along with many pastel colors to represent spring’s arrival.
Brian Feng, a current sophomore and a member of the Leadership program, had helped out with the event. Feng shared, “I wanted to help with this event because it was an event held by my leadership team, and I believe in a strong sense of community so I took
up the challenge and helped out.”
Feng also added that it was a good way to come together and give back to the community, and help to dismantle the negative stigma around Cardozo sometimes in the local community. He also reflected that his favorite part of the event was when all of the kids went inside to have the tea party, he enjoyed seeing everyone so happy and all of the kids having fun.
“I love seeing people happy so being able to see the kids having fun and eating sweets really makes me feel like the volunteering was worth it because I do this to make people happy and make them want to come back for future events,” Feng said.
Along with the Leadership class, NJROTC cadets helped to run the event, too. Yeju Lee, a member of the program, helped around the tea party, making sure the kids are safe and having lots of fun. Her favorite part was, “Seeing all the kids using their creativity with all the activities there were, from the making of the bunny masks, to even breaking their own egg baskets.”
Overall, the tea party and egg hunt was a wonderful way to celebrate Easter and the welcome of spring, creating lasting memories, and community spirit. As the event came closer to the end, smiles and laughter filled the air, leaving everyone excited for future events the school will bring to the community.