Despite the chill of a gray, early-afternoon sky, Vaca Pena Middle School’s field pulsed with color and laughter on Friday. Students darted across the grass in bursts of purple, pink, yellow, and green as clouds of colored chalk trailed behind them.
It was the school’s APEX Leadership Color Games, a lively mix of relays, obstacle courses, and good-natured chaos—all staged this year as a fundraiser for the school’s Parent Teacher Committee (PTC). The cold didn’t bother any of the participants for long. The moment the first “ready, set, go” was shouted, the field transformed into a bright, rainbow cloud of activity, with participants chasing each other, giggling, and ambushing one another with chalk dust—covering their hair, hoodies, and T-shirts.
Campus Dean of Learning Support Leslie Fitz didn’t just stand by and watch, either. Grabbing a bottle of chalk, she took aim and doused passing students. “At last check, they have raised $7,600,” Fitz said happily.
The process began two weeks ago with APEX Leadership, a company that partners with the Vacaville Unified School District for two-week fitness and leadership programs. “Their team has been great with the kids, doing pep rallies in the PE class with the kids,” Fitz said.
Students were given a QR code to send to family and friends seeking donations, and Fitz said the effort was a big success compared to previous years. “The funds got to the PTC, and then they fund fun stuff for the students like the eighth-grade send-off, a hot cocoa event for students next week before we go on break, teacher and student special events, and requests that pop up,” Fitz explained.
To be eligible to participate in Friday’s games, students had to raise $30. For the students, the fundraising was nice, but it was really about having fun with friends.
“I wanted to do this because all my friends were,” said seventh-grader Sierra Prettyman after being covered in chalk during the relay race—including a shot that sent some of the colorful cloud into her mouth. “I can taste color now,” she said with a laugh.
Gabe Brazil, another seventh-grade student in the mix, said his reason for participating was simple. “It sounded kinda fun,” he said. And after being doused? “It’s still fun,” he added with a smile.
https://www.thereporter.com/2025/12/12/color-games-bring-vibrant-fun-to-vaca-pena/
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