By David Vitrano

L’Observateur

RESERVE – Children and birthday parties go hand in hand.

Often, entire classes will be invited to celebrate a classmate’s yearly milestone, and the celebrations themselves are rowdy affairs with plenty of activities and cake and ice cream for everyone. Unfortunately, as one grows older, birthday parties all too often lose a bit of their festiveness and eventually turn into downright somber affairs.

One 80-year-old in St. John the Baptist Parish, however, had an old-fashioned childhood romp, and plenty of children were there to celebrate, too.

On Wednesday, St. Peter School in Reserve officially turned 80 years old, so the administration decided to throw the school a birthday party.

Held in the school’s gymnasium, the party featured games such as musical chairs, beanbag toss, clothespin drop and pin the tail on the ram. While the games were taking place in adjacent classrooms, the floor of the gymnasium turned into a giant dance floor, with children electric sliding and cupid shuffling the afternoon away.

Additionally, all the students got to taste a piece of the school’s birthday cake, which, they were assured, contained no sort of filling other than icing.

Based on the exuberance of the students and the way the older students were eager to help out the youngsters, it looks like the school will be in good hands for at least the next 80 years.