Zanesville-Muskingum County Public Health Hosts Pirate-Themed Back-to-School Bash
Interviewed by WHIZ reporter Gabe Hutton
Families from across Muskingum County gathered for a fun-filled day as Zanesville-Muskingum County Public Health hosted its annual Back-to-School Bash, helping children prepare for the upcoming school year with games, educational activities, and free school supplies.
This year’s event featured a “Sail into the New School Year” theme, with health department staff dressed as pirates and a variety of pirate-themed games and activities designed to make learning fun. Children who attended also received take-home bags filled with school supplies and other helpful items to get them ready for the first day of class.
According to Public Health Nurse Kathy Wagner, the event had been in the works for several years before finally becoming a reality.
“We have been trying to plan something like this for the last couple of years, and it just hasn’t been in our schedule,” Wagner said. “This year we just decided to do it and started planning. We wanted to make going back to school fun for the kids and fun for the adults.”
Wagner said another important goal was to help children feel comfortable with the health department while teaching them valuable lessons about staying healthy throughout the school year.
“We don’t want the health department to be a place that the kids are afraid of,” she said. “We want the kids to know how to be safe, what to look for, things to help them prevent disease, and help keep them healthy and safe during the school year.”
The Back-to-School Bash also brought together several community organizations, each offering activities and resources for families. Children had the opportunity to decorate shields representing protection from disease, receive free child identification cards from the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office, pick up free books and magazines from local literacy organizations, and participate in crafts hosted by the local library.
Wagner said seeing children enjoy themselves while learning made the event especially rewarding.
“We have the sheriff’s department here doing free ID cards for the kids. The literacy department is here giving out free books and magazines, and the library is here doing crafts,” Wagner said. “It is amazing for us. We just like to watch the kids have fun and learn while they don’t even realize they’re learning.”
The event highlighted the collaborative effort of local organizations working together to ensure children head back to school with the supplies, knowledge, and confidence they need for a successful year.
For more information about Zanesville-Muskingum County Public Health and upcoming community events, visit the health department’s website.
Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department | Public Health Services | Community Wellness & Safety
