Summit Academy’s Fall Festival Welcomes Back Students, Families

Summit Academy’s third annual fall festival will feature activities for children of all ages and a chance for parents to reunite with friends as well as faculty and administration.

The 2.5-hour event will be held on Monday, Oct. 3, on the field north of the junior high building, 1225 East 13200 South, in Draper. Student admission to the activities will be $5 and dinner and desserts are available to purchase from food trucks.

“This is a fun, open-house event where families can come on by, get some food, enjoy each other’s company and students can have fun with several activities and games,” Principal Tyler Whittle said. “Families sit on the grass, relax and reconnect.”

About 500 people attended last year’s fall event, which started when the school’s parent organization decided to introduce a festive school activity welcoming the community back to a new school year, Whittle said.

This year, the celebration continues with many parent volunteers from each grade introducing games and activities.  Summit Academy Junior High National Junior Honor Society, student government and student leaders also will help lead some activities.

“It’s a really good tradition that allows families to come together after the school year begins,” Whittle said.  “We’re including our older students and head room parents to coordinate activities and become involved. It gives the students a chance to give back.”

Some of the activities that are being discussed and could be included are bounce houses, photo booth, video game truck, ring toss, bean bag toss, ping pong ball toss, knock down can toss, inflatable laser tag, face painting, wet sponge toss, volleyball using beach balls, a putting green and others. 

There are also plans to have snow cones, cotton candy and popcorn available in addition to the food trucks.

“This gives our families several options of just coming for the activities, or activities and dessert, or the activities, food and dessert,” Whittle said.  

He said the popularity has expanded to other Summit Academy campuses, including the new Independence campus in Bluffdale in September.

Whittle said that he’d like to see the fall festival expand and possibly include some of the students’ accomplishments from the previous year.

“I’d like us to celebrate the achievements, test performances and good things our students have accomplished. We have great students and a great school and this could be a celebration and a welcome-back fun fall festival,” he said.