Chicago Public Schools hosts first back-to-school bash on the South Side: PHOTOS

Carlos Juarez, a second-grade student at Florence Nightingale Elementary School, slides down a blow-up slide during a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday morning in Davis Square Park on the South Side. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Chicago Public Schools kicked off the 2023-2024 school year Friday with a back-to-school bash at a South Side park.

In the first of 13 planned celebrations, the district provided music, food, games, school supplies, and more for students and their families in Davis Square Park, at 4430 S. Marshfield Ave. Families could also meet with school leaders at the event.

CPS's first day of school is scheduled for Aug. 21. Information about the upcoming school year and more back-to-school bashes can be found here: www.cps.edu/sites/back-to-school.

Gael Arellano, a fourth-grader at William H. Seward Communication Arts Academy Elementary School, picks out a new backpack at the first Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park on the South Side. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Milo Cervantes, left, a first-grade student at Blair Early Childhood Center, plays in a bounce house with William Leocadio, a second-grader at an Acero charter school, during a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park on the South Side. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Dozens attend a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Aziel Garcia, 3, plays with a bubble machine at a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday on the South Side. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Ramon Mendoza, left, prepares to catch a box full of fresh produce from Javier Sabillon during a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park. Blue Cross Blue Shield gave out boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to families at the back-to-school bash. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Annahe Rocardo, 2, adjusts her superhero mask at a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park on the South Side. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Kids participate in a race at a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Esther Cepeda puts stickers on William H. Seward Communication Arts Academy Elementary School first-grader Ian Sierra’s cape at a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)

Blue Cross Blue Shield provides boxes of fresh produce to families attending a Chicago Public Schools back-to-school bash Friday in Davis Square Park on the South Side. (Owen Ziliak/Sun-Times)