On Friday, Oct. 29 at 9:00 a.m., Upper School and Middle School students and faculty gathered near the Senior Green to celebrate the upcoming Halloween holiday with a Fall Festival.
During the event, there were various treats to enjoy accompanied by Halloween music. The food served included donuts from Faddy’s and Donut Crazy, which were provided through a family donation. The pumpkins that were on display during the event were from the Form 3 advisee pumpkin decorating contest. Overall, the festive event was a true success in bringing the KO community together in celebration of the holiday.
The event was organized through the collaborative efforts of Dean of Students Krista Sahrbeck, Student Government, and the Form 6 prefects. The first Fall Fest took place last year, occurring in place of a regular advisee group. This year’s organizers aimed to make it even better, and they hope to make the Fall Fest a continuing tradition on campus.
Ms. Sahrbeck thought that the event was a success in bringing the campus community together. “It was really great to have the whole community out and have a shared free time to just vote on pumpkins, but also just hang out and converse,” she said. “We’re trying to take advantage as much as possible with the nice weather to be able to be out, have your mask off, and be able to just have some good cheer with everybody.”
Math teacher and Form 3 advisor Nicole Baratz thought the event provided a great way for her advisee group to bond. “[Pumpkin decorating] was great because everyone contributed to it,” she said. “My advisees decided to make it a Day of the Dead pumpkin. It was really cool to see all the different advisory groups be so creative.”
Aside from her individual advisee group, Ms. Baratz felt that the entire student body had an enjoyable time. Since this is her first year here at KO, she was happy to meet more members of the school community. “There was laughter, and there were really fun costumes,” she said. “It was just very good vibes.”
Sophomore Ashley Buckingham agreed. She thought the event was a nice break from her class course load. “The Fall Fest was a great way to spend time with our classmates outside and enjoy the donuts and hot chocolate that were provided,” she said.
Sophomore Ally LaCroix believed that the event provided her with a wonderful experience. “Especially considering that I decorated a pumpkin with my advisee group last year, it was great to see all the freshmen’s pumpkins this year,” she said. “I really hope that the Fall Fest can continue in future years.”
Overall, this year’s Fall Fest was an amazing time for students and faculty alike to get together, eat some delicious treats, and meet new faces before the Halloween holiday, and the KO community is already looking forward to next year’s celebration.
