ALABASTER – For the fifth year, Meadow View Elementary hosted its annual celebration, Have a Ball with Learning, on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Event creators, Principal Michelle Brakefield and Alabaster City Schools reading coach Heather Reeves, said the purpose of the event is to strengthen the student-teacher-parent relationship.

“This is a chance for us to talk about something other than academics,” Reeves said. “It’s about getting to know each other in a relaxed setting.”

During the free event, families were treated to a free dinner, athletic events and a swag bag filled with educational materials for the students. The cheerleading, baseball, softball, golf and boys and girls’ soccer teams from THS attended the event to help the younger kids hone their skills in those sports.

“The kids look forward to it every year and there’s always a good turnout,” Brakefield said. “And the high school kids are just as excited about playing with the kids as the kids are about playing with them.”

Yourgen Rodriguez, a 12^th-grade soccer player, has participated in the event since his freshman year at THS.

“We teach them the fundamentals of the game, like how to kick a ball, and we just have fun,” Rodriguez said. “It’s fun because we usually have some kids who are familiar with the sport and others who have never played before. It’s an opportunity to help some kids practice their skills and introduce others to a new sport. Playing sports is just a good way to interact with younger kids.”

Lauren Gardner attended the event with her husband and three children, two of whom are students at MVES.

“We didn’t come last year, but we decided to try it out this year because the kids are getting more interested in sports now,” she said. “All three of them play soccer, so this is a good chance for them to practice their skills. My daughter is also excited to see the cheerleaders.”

Gardner said her two sons are interested in baseball as well, and she hoped they’d take an interest in golf.

“My husband plays golf recreationally, and it would be cool to see if they’re interested in that so they could maybe play with him down the road,” Gardner said.

Brakefield and Reeves thanked the high school coaches for allowing their teams to participate in the event, the school’s Child Nutrition Program for preparing dinner, the MVES school resource officer and the Alabaster Police Department for providing security at the event and Scholastic Corporation for partnering with the school to provide books for the kids to take home.