Emma Narvaez
Following the success of the Pool Party Social back in August, the HSSC returned with another triumph: the Halloween Social! This time, however, it was hosted by the sophomore representatives Masaya, Sahil, Mairi, and freshman representatives Julia, Marin, and Akira.
Mr. G with his minions
It is a tradition in Saint Maur to have one freshmen-sophomore hosted social, and this year’s representatives definitely followed through with it. The social was held on October 27, 2023, just before Halloween, and involved festive costumes, spooky decorations, and lots of games.
After contemplating the theme for this year’s Fall Social, the grade representatives finally decided on a Halloween spirit themed social, where each grade would compete against each other in various activities to gain spirit points. Masaya, the Grade 10 class president, explained that his goal for the social was for “everyone to socialize while having as much fun as possible,” which he found to be difficult in past years because “not everyone had similar interests.” Therefore, for this social, Masaya stated that the representatives combined various activities “so that a lot of people can have fun at the same time.” For example, at the start of the night, the grade representatives organized an E-sports competition held in the Cougar Cafe that was simultaneously run with a karaoke activity in the Activity Rooms. Running two activities at the same time allowed the student body to participate in something that better suited their interests, as Masaya hoped.
Freshmen participating in karaoke activity
Although the students were able to divide into several groups, they were also able to come together towards the end of the night in the gym, where there were volleyball and basketball matches with students against teachers. The teachers who participated were Mr. Matsumoto, Mr. Diaz, Mrs. Forbes-Diaz, Mr. Crespy, Ms. Gaya. Mr. G, and Ms. Kitaoka. Sahil, the Grade 10 vice-president, explained that the sports events were included because the representatives wanted to choose something that would involve the entire student body, stating: “In previous years, even in this social, the seniors didn’t really participate and we wanted them to come.” It is still a mystery as to what would interest the senior class in the midst of their strenuous workload and college applications; however, I’m sure the attempt to involve them is much appreciated.
Perhaps not always noticed by the students, there are always challenges faced throughout these socials carefully planned by the HSSC. One challenge Sahil faced when hosting the E-sports section was that “there was a maintenance break in the game, which meant no one could play it for a whole hour.” To overcome this obstacle, however, Sahil was able to improvise and keep everyone busy with alternative Nintendo games, such as Super Smash Bros. Additionally, Sahil realized that not enough pizza was purchased, stating, “We originally calculated that people would get about 2 to 3 slices each, but then there were many people who got none.” As for the actual planning of the social, Masaya admitted that they had “a bit of a hard time figuring out when to do what and the workload.” Additionally, he stated: “We were pretty behind on schedule in terms of planning, so that was pretty hard to do last minute.”
Despite these challenges, both Masaya and Sahil believe the social to be a success, engaging both students and teachers. Masaya noted, “I heard Mr. Martin had a comeback in the Smash Bros tournament and it seemed like the teachers were enjoying the sports too.” The amount of thought and effort the class representatives contributed to prioritize inclusivity should definitely be admired, as participation in a social event is what determines whether it is successful or not. In this case, it was, and the HSSC was grateful to see both students and teachers loosen up in silly costumes to celebrate a fan-favorite holiday.
Grade 10 students in Halloween onesies
Although the tradition of the freshman-sophomore hosted social requires a great deal of work for the representatives, it gives them the opportunity to take initiative and create memorable events for the entire school. Sahil gives this piece of advice for the next generation of freshmen and sophomore representatives: “Plan ahead and stay ahead of schedule. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck like us.”
In the end, the sophomore class was able to gain the most spirit points, with 100 in total, followed by the freshmen class that got 80 points, and finally both the junior and senior classes with 30 points.
Overall, this year’s Halloween social undoubtedly captured the interest of many high school students through a bit of friendly competition, spirited costumes, and pizza (for those who got to eat it). A huge thank you is deserved to the representatives who hosted this event, your amazing work has not gone unnoticed!
Emma Narvaez