Principal Newsletter // September 15, 2026

Sep 14

Dear Appleton Families,

Carnival Success!

Another Appleton Carnival is in the books, and what a wonderful evening it was! Unlike last year, Mother Nature gave us a perfect Colorado evening, allowing this decades-long Appleton tradition to shine once again.

There is something truly special about watching generations of Appleton families come together for a night of laughter, games, great food, and memories. For me, one of the greatest joys is seeing our entire community rally around our children. It takes hundreds of volunteer hours, countless donations, and an incredible amount of teamwork to make the Carnival happen, and every bit of that effort creates a magical evening that many of our students will remember for years to come.

Thank you for the wonderful cake donations, the incredible silent auction contributions, and to everyone who volunteered to run games, serve food, set up, and stay late for cleanup. Your generosity and willingness to give your time is what makes Appleton such a special place.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our amazing Appleton P.T.A., whose dedication and countless hours of planning make this cherished tradition possible year after year. Together, you remind us that Appleton is much more than a school—it is a family and a community where everyone belongs.

Years from now, our students may not remember every lesson they learned in the classroom, but many will remember evenings like the Appleton Carnival—the excitement, the laughter, and the feeling of being surrounded by a community that cared enough to make a little magic just for them. Thank you for making those memories possible.

Thank You Volunteers and Game Donations

The Cake Crew - Char Sidanycz (Nikki Summer’s mom), Tami Chamblee & Shirlee Lee (Nikki’s aunts) made over 30 items for the cakewalk and also used their connections to partner with Safeway and City Market for more.
Fellowship Church - Three of our most popular games (Plinko, Fill It Up, and the Crazy Puzzle) were donated once again. Thank you Pastor Shaun & Pastor Will for the donations and loading them up.
Bump n Jump - Both Bump n Jumps were donated by owner Nick Martinez. Contact him at 970-900-5867 for your next party. Bump n Jump donations over the years have saved us so much money and have made the event so much fun!
Palisade High School & Fruita Monument High School . These young people supported several games and stations and helped us throughout the evening.

Special Thanks To:

Vanessa Bradley – P.T.A. President & Carnival Coordinator. Vanessa spent over 100 hours organizing, making phone calls, and providing labor so we could have a great event. Truly deserves everyone’s thankful admiration.

Ronda Nelson, Randi Lavender & Amy Park - These ladies made our 1st ever Frito Pie night a huge success with nearly 400 meals served.

Clayton Newitt, Brian Russell & Hunter Buniger - Cleanup/Custodial Team. Cleaning up for over 1,500 people in a short time frame is a huge job.

Connor Larson – P.T.A. Vice President - Super support of the silent auction! Way to go Connor.

The Appleton Staff - Lots of extra hours organizing and volunteering for this event. For many, Friday was a 14 hour day; some came in on the weekend, as well.

An event this big takes lots and lots of work and partnerships. Everyone who participated in this event deserves a big Appleton THANK YOU!

More Carnival Winners!

We will be contacting all winners of Pie in the Face bids, Front Row Seats at Programs, Ice Cream with the Principal, and other bids very soon.

We do have the winners for the Estimation Jars contests and the totals:

Amount in Each Jar:Winning Guesses:

Jar - Bubble Gum theme – 141 Graham Hughes – 145

Jar - M&M theme - 1,296 Jeremy Rank - 1,320

Jar - Nerds theme– 77 Evangelina Palma - 75

& Shae Needham - 75

A Note From Our PTA President - Vanessa Bradley

Huge Thank You to all the Staff and Parents who made carnival possible with Donations and Volunteering.

Thanks to those who worked behind the scenes to make Silent Auction Possible: Krisi Gustad, Brynn Boyd, Connor & Dany Larson, Nancy Bacon, Jamie Robertson, Wendi Ingle, Tony Johnson, Joan Hazard, S. Lee & C Sidanycz, Kay Rohleder, Blanca Quinones, Codi Barley and Amanda Builteman

Special thanks to the many hours and days put in by Summer Penrod, Mariah Lash, Sarah Weber, Talesha Barnett, Kaylene Waltersheid and Cathy Vasboe (who visited for a few weeks and drove all around town to help pick up items!)