Snowball Flies At Fair Haven School

Sixteen years after Fair Haven School gym teacher Sharon Arnold first came up with the idea to combine fitness with college and career readiness, she received her flowers for helping to inspire the post-high school dreams of dozens of Fair Haven students. 

That was the scene Friday at the middle school’s 16th annual Snowball celebration, which each year brings community partners and businesses to the Grand Avenue school to inspire its youth to dream big for their college and career goals. 

Throughout the school year, the students are exposed to the colleges that ​“adopt” their grade level and specific career paths they can consider for themselves. Snowball is a culmination of the months-long partnership with the sponsoring businesses and partners. For the fitness portion, each grade level also learns and performs a dance to celebrate the Snowball event. 

On Friday, students wore t‑shirts and swag from colleges like Yale University, Gateway Community College, the University of Bridgeport, Albertus Magnus, and the University of Connecticut. 

The annual school-wide event, which Arnold began coordinating over a decade ago, aims to encourage students to build relationships with local college and career partners.

Elisha Correa, a current freshman at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU), said Friday that the Snowball event was a key reason she dreamed of one day attending CCSU. She graduated from Fair Haven School in 2020 and thanked Arnold for the introduction to college before she ever stepped foot on an actual college campus. 

She recalled attending the school’s Snowball event every year since she was in the second grade. She said it’s not just an event, but rather a ​“powerful force that brings community together.” 

She also gave thanks for the introduction to New Haven Promise scholarship program through the Snowball, which helps her attend CCSU student-loan free. 

Friday remained lively with the help of the students’ dancing and the Hillhouse High School band. 

Hundreds filled in the school’s auditorium as local partners danced alongside the students and parents waved and blew their kids kisses from the auditorium balcony seats. 

After dancing with students, U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro presented Arnold with a proclamation, thanking her for her 16 years of organizing the event. ​“You have made an incredible difference in the lives of our children and we are so grateful,” DeLauro told Arnold. 

Toward the end of Friday’s event, school staffers presented Arnold, who is considering retiring this year, with flowers, a plaque, and a poster of images featuring the previous year’s Snowball event. 

Arnold also joined five of her colleagues in a special ​“alumni” dance made up of five staffers whom Arnold once taught while they attended Fair Haven School. Now Arnold works alongside her former students daily. 

After Friday’s event, Arnold described the tradition as one that touched her heart, due to it possibly being her last. Arnold has taught at Fair Haven School for the past 32 years and overall has been in education for 36 years. 

She said she’s enjoyed providing the students with the chance to ​“see what they can do” and reminding them that exercise is important. ​“They can do whatever they want because there are people here that can help them.” 

She concluded that her journey has come full circle as she recalled her former student (and now colleague) Anna Baez graduating from Fair Haven School years ago. And now Baez will watch as Arnold departs from the school. 

“It’s all of us coming together for what I’ve always believed in, all of the students having a future,” she said. 

Click here to view all of the Snowball partners.