PARTY: Students and faculty rave over the success of Poly’s first P.R.I.D.E. Carnival.
By Ashley Gore, Features Editor
The previous school year brought forth the P.R.I.D.E. acronym, a list of values near and dear to the hearts of Poly Bears. What started out as a couple of letters turned into a school-wide movement that knit together students, staff, families and alumni. As the wild success of last year’s school wide unification drew to a close with the onset of summer, the Poly community anxiously awaited and questioned what would come next. They got their answer in this year’s P.R.I.D.E. Week.
Each day of the first week of school featured one of the core values of P.R.I.D.E.: passion, respect, integrity, determination, extraordinary. Teachers eased students into the new year by tying their lectures and presentations into the word of the day. Mrs. Kristen Kund asked her students to not only introduce themselves in French by name, but by passion. Mrs. Kimberly Yeyna challenged her pupils to define respect beyond the dictionary denotation. Mr. David Melhuish inspired his students with quotes related to integrity. Mr. Michael Gull highlighted the value of determination and grit through telling his inspiring life story, which left an enormous impact on students. “Mr. Gull nailed P.R.I.D.E. Week like no other,” Honors U.S. History student Alexandra Stetkevich (11) said.
However, it took more than the incorporation of values in classroom settings to set the student body ablaze. The Associated Student Body (ASB) knew it would have to deliver a grand finale to end P.R.I.D.E. Week and make it memorable. It came up with the P.R.I.D.E. Carnival.
Throughout the first few days of the week, students were aware that school would end at twelve o’clock on Friday. Rumors of an extravagant party made their way around campus. However, no one truly had a grasp on the concrete details until the sixth period bell rang on August 29, and students ran out of class, drawn to loud music that sweltered through the 600s quad. “I knew there was going to be a carnival, but I didn’t expect it to be so awesome,” Zurie Joseph (10) said.
The gym transformed into a buzzing arcade that featured everything from pinball to air hockey to Dance Dance Revolution. Booths scattered around the science wing invited students to try their hand at popular carnival games. A red-gym-suit-clad retro band sang along with dancing teachers. Seniors frantically ran across campus, snapping selfies with every teacher in sight to attain extra credit.
After the last student received his prize and the festivities came to a close, social media still buzzed with activity as students and staff reflected on the Poly party. The sheer number of students who attended the carnival surpassed any and all expectations. All Bears seemed to have a positive outlook on the carnival and felt it set the tone for the rest of the year. “It really got a lot of kids involved in the school, and it was a great way to kick off the year,” ASB Commissioner of the Student Store Ally Huerta (11) said.
Not only did the students enjoy the celebration, but faculty did as well. “The carnival was a great success. It was wonderful to see so many students and teachers truly enjoying themselves at the beginning of the school year. We are lucky to have such an involved student body and staff,” Yeyna said.
The only complaints voiced pertained to the heat and the food truck lines, but overall, the P.R.I.D.E. Carnival provided a day of fun, friends and family to kick off the school year. “I definitely think it should happen again! Since none of the other schools in RUSD did it, it made me proud to be a Poly Bear,” Sophia Helfand (11) said.