It certainly wasn’t business as usual Tuesday for students at Nims Middle School. The polo shirts and khaki bottoms were ditched for casual, party attire.
They were joined by their peers from nearby Bond and Pineview feeder elementary schools, swelling to nearly 1,000 students total, for a grand celebration of the academic achievement each school recorded on the Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST).
It was enough to shut down the west end of Orange Avenue, attract members of Florida A&M University’s Marching 100, head Rattler football coach James Colzie and players, and even the Caribbean Junkanoos band.
Twelve huge bounce houses sat in the Nims Middle School parking lot. Students looked in awe at the setup as they walked into the school for morning attendance before being set loose.
The kids also were treated to marching bands from Rickards and Godby high schools, and enjoyed snow cones from Kona Ice and hotdogs and hamburgers from local BBQ vendor Right on ‘Que.
And while it was a party, it really was all about achievements in the classroom. Major achievements.