By Rebecca Rider

rebecca.rider@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — Moods were running high Thursday morning at Hurley Elementary School. Laughter and blasts of music echoed through the building and across the grounds behind the school as students ran, played and celebrated the end of school with an old classic: Field Day.

The school staff made use of large parts of the school: serving snacks in the cafeteria, running limbo in the hallway, and getting students moving and shaking with “Just Dance” in the multipurpose room.

Outside, students took part in classic field-day activities including tug-of-war, relay races, jump rope and volleyball. The morning was cool, but after running through a few activities students stopped for an ice-cream break and a seat in the shade.

Parents and family members stood under trees or followed students along from station to station. Timothy McCain said it was good to “see kids enjoy themselves on the last day of school.”

“Brings back some good memories,” he said with a smile.

McCain was there in support of his son, Davontae Dubose, a first-grader. Davontae had been excited about Field Day and the last full day of school. Today is an early-release day for students, with dismissal at noon.

Over by the relay race, Sandy Smith watched daughter Starrla Smith jump over ropes and race around cones.

“We’re here to watch her have fun today,” she said.

Smith was joined by her granddaughter, Ivy Hewitt, who is home from college for the summer. Smith explained that Starrla was a foster child that she and her husband adopted when she was 4 years old. Smith has 11 grandchildren, and children as old as 40. First-grader Starrla became their aunt and sister.

“They get a kick out of that,” Smith said with a chuckle.

Smith and Hewitt said family participation in Field Day helps build a child’s self-confidence. Starrla was pretty shy, Hewitt said, but looking toward the sidelines and seeing her family cheering for her might give her confidence.

Smith agreed.

“They need the family support in order to do well at school,” she said. “It’s important to know that they have someone behind them.”

She added that it was very important to Starrla that her family come to Field Day.

“And you can tell it makes her happy,” Smith said.

Starrla said she is excited about summer — especially going to the beach. But while she was looking forward to the end of the school year, she’s sad to leave this one behind, she said, because she’ll miss the friends that she has made.

Contact reporter Rebecca Rider at 704-797-4264.