Students Make a Splash at Senior Carnival

Julia+Lloyd++%E2%80%9920+rides+the+mechanical+shark+at+the+Senior+Carnival.

Izhaar Rosa ’21

Julia Lloyd ’20 rides the mechanical shark at the Senior Carnival.

The “Camp Hotchkiss” atmosphere was in full force as students enjoyed a water slide and grilled hot dogs at this year’s Senior Carnival. The carnival, which was the first large-scale community event of the year, kicked off Senior Dance fundraising events.
The Senior Carnival is an annual event organized by the Senior class presidents; this year’s presidents are Maggie Smith ’20 and Carter Day ’20. The carnival was held by the beach volleyball courts on Sunday, September 8 from noon to 4 p.m.
The Senior class council decided the theme of this year’s carnival would be H2O, which represents the Senior class’s graduation year – 2020. In line with the theme, activities included a water slide, slip ’n slide, and mechanical shark. Some of the drier activities included spikeball, beanbag toss, and a bouncy castle.
This year’s theme was similar to last year’s pirate theme. That carnival took place at the lake and featured a barbeque. Atalia Navarro ’21 said, “Unfortunately, last year’s Senior Carnival had bad luck with the weather. However, this year’s Senior Carnival offered a lot and it was a really enjoyable event to start the year off.”
For many Seniors, the carnival was a reminder that it’s their final year at the school. Dom Bellido ’20 said, “[This is a] terrible, bittersweet, amazing, fun moment, because it’s never going to happen again.”
For other community members, especially new students, the carnival was a fun opportunity to get to know more of the school community. Amber Bretz ’23 said, “I enjoyed the variety of activities at the canrival and just being able to be here with all my friends.”
Smith and Day worked with Ms. Amanda McClure, dean of the class of 2020, throughout the summer to plan the carnival and coordinate specific details, such as ordering attractions and deciding on a t-shirt design. Beckett Hornik ’20 designed the shirts, which feature navy blue lettering that says “H20 Senior Carnival” on the front and a drawing of a bearcat in snorkel gear with the words “Drip, Splash” on the back.
Although the day turned out beautifuully, Smith and Day were initially worried that weather could be a challenge. Smith said, “I think one of the [biggest] gambles was weather, because sometimes September is so unpredictable, so we wanted to make it by the beach volleyball courts. Last year, [the carnival] was by the lake, which was a great idea, but the weather didn’t hold up.”
The class of 2021 will host the Senior carnival next year.