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Sandy Journal

Carnival king brings fun tradition to Silver Mesa classrooms

Apr 03, 2022 06:32PM ● By Julie Slama

By Julie Slama | [email protected]

At Silver Mesa Elementary, the fictious character, El Rei Carnestoltes, was actually seen entering classrooms.

The carnival king in the Catalonia area of Spain is known for his colorful fashion during the festivities of Carnival, which include a masked ball and parades.

In late February, the tradition was shared with students. During the week, he left a note for students to do various things such as wearing pajamas or two different shoes, fifth-grade teacher Sara Perez Perez said. 

“The idea was shared with the whole Spanish team,” Perez said. “We all were excited about the idea, and you should have seen the students—it brought so much joy.”

Perez said she and first-grade teacher Silvia Sanz Megias are from that Spanish region and “have really good memories as kids having Carnestoltes in our schools. We want students to know as much as possible about things we do in Spain, so they get to know us a little better.”

Silver Mesa students, in keeping with the custom, also made their own masks.

At the end of the week, El Rei Carnestoltes personally came to join the students, selecting the top masks in each classroom, and sang and danced with students.