Falcons fly through special events

Another month has come and gone at River Valley High School, where school spirit has been at an all-time high. More than ever, the student committee has had its hands full putting events together that appeal to the student body. The committee planned two activities this time around — Cultural Day and Halloween Day.

Seeing as America is the melting pot of diversity, Cultural Day was rather fitting, considering this country is home to people from around the globe. The day entailed shortened class periods and a lengthened lunch break, where teachers and students alike got the chance to intermingle in worldly affairs.

There was Punjabi music, exotic food — such as samosa and orange chicken — high-spirited dancing, and different ethnic groups wore customary garb from their homelands. The quad was nearly packed to the breaking point, as everyone congregated near the center stage to partake of the ongoing festivities.

Despite the cramped quarters, it was a nice to just put school on hold for a change and enjoy the moment's reprieve from the stress it puts on all of us. I took advantage of this occasion to secure an Italian breadstick and some vanilla ice cream, which were delicious. I can probably speak on behalf of the entire student body when I say that I wish we had more days like this.

Halloween Day had its fair share of holiday cheer, too — or should I say fright? Students dressed in a variety of costumes, from Alice of "Alice in Wonderland" to lumberjacks to a male concubine to a withered granny to, pardon my saying so, a used contraceptive.

When asked what he thought about his peer's costume, Brendan Mallory, a senior, had this to say: "I can't believe that someone decided to dress up as condom. I mean, what they are trying to pull here?"

There even was a competition at lunch between Halloweeners (the individuals who had on costumes), where they were asked to strut their stuff and earn the win by gaining applause from the audience. The person who was applauded the most would win.

Needless to say, the Halloweeners who received the most clapping were the old granny, the male concubine and Alice in Wonderland. It was close in the end, but with Disney on her side, Alice came out on top. Congrats to all those who participated. It's all in good fun, after all.

Other students had different ideas of what they were going to do for the holiday. Cameron Moore, a senior, said, "I am just going to hang out and party, then gorge on candy."

Surprisingly, very few people actually decided to go trick-or-treating and just made plans with friends for a night out on the town. Let's hope that everyone will stay out trouble and drug free.

Aizell Kittles is a senior at River Valley High School. His column appears about every sixth week in Education.