Dear students and teachers of SMHS,
Creating a day that is both fun for students and safe to ensure good health isn’t an easy thing to do, but our school did it, and they did it well. Although the day got good feedback overall, CHAMPS wasn’t all day. Most of the day was enacted like a school day, but at 2:30 classes prepared to spend the rest of the day celebrating the greatly improved student attendance.
Leaving Mr. Mammel’s room a few minutes after the bell, camera strung around my neck, my backpack pulling me down. With each step I took, I was planning how to spend my time. I listed all the events in my mind: Jewelry making, Karaoke, Basketball, DJ?, Homework room… no, Face painting. Mapping out my plan in my head; so many events, but just under 2 hours to see them.
The upstairs was quiet, echos below me lightly vibrated from beneath my feet. I stepped down the stairs, hearing the chatter in the room I was walking into. As I got closer, more and more conversations could be heard; it felt like the school’s cafeteria with fewer people but greater voices.
There I stood, directly in front of the office, staring into the main hall. It felt like a completely different world compared to a normal school day. People were buying and selling, and our communities were a massive hub of activity. Foods for sale lined the hallway, and the smell was different every two feet: strawberry, chocolate, sweet, sour, and salty.
The entire vibe shifted when I got to the library. Immediately, people covered in face paint were walking out of the room. And I mean COVERED. There were students completely painted red, or blue, or with full clown makeup. The library felt like a structured free-for-all. I walked through the facepaint and crafting tables to get to the video game section. I stayed here for about 20 minutes, and in those 20 minutes, it felt like the same 3 kids were “hogging” the controllers.
I left the library after passing through the board game section. I was now in the courtyard. The DJ was blasting music and few people were dancing, and those who were were either right next to him or on the other side of the courtyard. I never ended up going to the snow cone or food trucks, but seeing the 2,000,000 people in line from the courtyard told me enough.
The last place I went was the karaoke room. The scene felt quiet but they sang so loud. The lights were down, the talent was up. Most of the songs that students sang while I was there were musicals and Disney songs, which fit the room’s vibes.
It sounds like everyone was having a good time everywhere, but looking around, I don’t think that was the case. 75% of the students seen throughout the school were sitting alone on their phones, or with their heads down. Which, given the setting, feels very predictable. But looking at the people participating in the activities, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.
Wrapping this up, CHAMPS day was definitely one of the better events this school has had, incorporating activities for almost everyone. From start to end, I was surrounded by things to do, and I think that’s what made it so enjoyable. I do hope the school hosts another CHAMPS day because I really had fun.
Signing off,
John Paul Simas-Galloway
