BISV’s first Fall Festival after the Pandemic was a blast! The combination of teachers getting dunked, free food, a petting zoo, and carnival games was a great way to absolve stress from a long week of work. 

After checking in to collect our tickets, we were able to exchange them for free cotton candy and popcorn. The popcorn, which was made right in front of us, tasted better than movie popcorn as they were smothered with delicious butter. On the other hand, the cotton candy was very sugary and dense. It was refreshing to eat cotton candy for the first time in years as it’s rarely served anywhere else. Originally, we were allowed to buy watermelon or lime slushies for five dollars, but sadly the machine broke. Of course, the food from the Tres Hermanos food truck was scrumptious as always. I would recommend getting their super quesadillas which are served with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole.

After getting food, students were able to watch or even participate in dunking several teachers and staff. After waiting in the line, we had three chances to hit the target. If the target was triggered, the seat will drop and the teacher will fall into the small pool of water. In our opinion, dunking a teacher was too easy, especially with three attempts. Nearly every other student was able to hit the target. 

Rating Dunks

1. Mr. Perez –The Dean was the first to sit on the seat, and he was hilariously also soaked on the first throw. Over and over, he was dropped into the water mercilessly. 
2. Dr. Noble – He wore a colorful tropical shirt and some floaties to save him from drowning in the five feet of water. Obviously, his clothes ended up getting more than damp. He stated that he was “surprised at the students’ athleticism.” At times he got “nervous” as he helplessly watched the ball barely miss the target. As a whole, he described his experience as good and fun. However, he was demoted from #1 for holding onto the railing to escape submersion at one point.
3. Mrs. Kolb – Students unleashed their anger by dunking Mrs. Kolb in the double digits. She was easily dunked the most times out of all the  teachers. Even her son dunked her! The lower-school students were definitely satisfied and got their revenge.
4. Mr. Ross – Mr. Ross was overly confident in his chances of escaping the water. He trash-talked every student that attempted to dunk him. However, his attempts were feeble against the students and he was soaked several times. 
5. Everyone Else 

If dunking teachers wasn’t enough, there were also creative carnival games to entertain students. The games featured throwing balls and beanbags, spin art, hockey, and another game similar to whack-a-mole. 

The petting zoo was another exciting activity that attracted a lot of engagement and received a lot of love! The animals in the petting zoo ranged from fluffy bunnies to cute goats and  an adorable tortoise, but the star of the show was the chicken that constantly hitched rides on  a sheep’s back. Students had a wonderful time relieving their stress by interacting with and petting the various animals after a grueling week of school. Overall, the Fall Festival was a resounding success as students got to hang out with their friends and teachers in a non-stressful environment.