Little Olympians participate in summer games

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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Alexandria Shepas held the flag during the National Anthem before the Summer Olympics began on Aug. 5 at the Austintown Community Church Preschool Childcare Center.

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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Children participated in a three-legged race to finish off the events for the start of the Summer Olympics on Aug. 5 at the Austintown Community Church Preschool Childcare Center.

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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Children jumped over pool noodles during the hurdle event for the Summer Olympics starting Aug. 5 at the Austintown Community Church Preschool Childcare Center.

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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The children at the Austintown Community Church Preschool Childcare Center held up flags during the start of the Summer Olympics on Aug. 5.

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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.The children at the Austintown Community Church Preschool Childcare Center marched around the parking lot waving their flags during the opening ceremony of their Summer Olympics starting Aug. 5.

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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Children threw pool noodles through a hole for the javelin toss event as the Summer Olympics at the Austintown Community Church Preschool Childcare Center began on Aug. 5.

By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI

abartolomucci@vindy.com

Children at the Austintown Community Church Preschool Childcare Center participated in their first Summer Olympics program on Aug. 5.

The topic the children have been focusing on during their time at summer day care is superheroes. Throughout the summer the children learned how different community members are superheroes in their own way. The Austintown fire department paid a visit to the children to talk to them and let them spray the hose from the truck.

Teachers, Tami Gresco and Elaine Ruby, incorporated the superhero theme into the education the students receive in various subjects like social studies and science. The children learned their own superpowers, such as saying please and thank you and how to be a good friend.

“It’s a good learning experience for the kids because they can learn about different places in the world and different people. How we are different, but the same in a lot of aspects,” said Gresco.

The Summer Olympics started with the children walking in a circle around the parking lot, holding up flags they created. After making a few laps, the children passed the torch until it got to Malia Thomas who was responsible for the lighting of the torch.

Thomas was chosen by her classmates to have the honor of lighting the torch because she is a superhero. Thomas is there for her friends, is nice and has other good qualities that make her a superhero to her friends. Thomas said being picked made her happy and she was excited to be chosen.

“I get just as excited as the kids do,” said Gresco.

To get the children prepared for the upcoming week of events, they started out with a few track and field events. The children were divided into their two classes and one class participated in the javelin toss while the other class ran and jumped over hurdles. The final activity of opening day was the three-legged race, where the children picked a partner and raced to the finish line with on leg tied to their partner’s leg.

The children will be participating in a variety of Olympic style games from Aug. 8-12.