With the school year coming to a close on May 30, staff at Soboba Tribal Preschool seized the opportunity to invite their students’ fathers to an early Father’s Day celebration on May 23. Although summer school will be in session in June, kindergarten students will have graduated on June 2.
Preschool Administrator Lenora “Ponie” Mojado said the school has always hosted a Mother’s Day celebration but because Father’s Day arrives in the summer, this year on June 15, students who have been there all year didn’t get an opportunity to share a special event with their dads, which they feel is important.
An outer space theme titled “Dad is out of this world” was spread throughout the multipurpose room that is adjacent to the preschool. A huge, balloon-trimmed screen that said, “I love you to the moon and back” was used for photos and a backdrop for the children to perform a song in Luiseño for their fathers and other invited father figures in their lives.
Wall decorations consisted of class projects with input from each student. One had mini rocket ships that each student colored, another had a large flying saucer with individual smaller ones surrounding it that were colored by each student and a giant spaceship filled with self-portrait astronauts included all the kindergarten kids.
The children made lots of handmade keepsake gifts. Preschoolers completed a questionnaire about their fathers with comments like: My dad loves to “sing.” Answers to finish the sentence Most of all I love my dad, included “he’s the bestest” and “he makes me happy.” Khloe Razon said, He is so strong “he can pick up heavy stuff and me.” She also said her favorite thing to do with her dad Leland is “play hide and seek.”
Kindergartners made and colored a cardboard toolbox with pictures of wrenches, saws, hammers and more on which they also completed sentences. Palkí Herrera said “working” when describing what her dad Gabe Herrera is really good at doing. She also completed the sentence: Thank you for “taking care of me.”
The toolbox contained more gifts. One was a laminated strip of three photos of their child holding the letter I, a heart and the letter U. Another was a small handmade pottery dish they painted, along with a few other special items.
Fathers also got to enjoy creating a keepsake with their children as each was given a small plaster cast of a planet, a rocket, or an astronaut they could paint in a variety of colors.
All guests were treated to a buffet of nachos or tacos with their choice of toppings, cups of cool watermelon cubes and mini churros.
Photos courtesy of the Soboba Band of Luiseño Indians
