On Monday, December 16, the Spanish Honors Society held their Navidad event in light of the upcoming Christmas break, focusing on garnering items from members to give away to people in need. This event is one of the club’s four mandatory events which are exclusive to the honor society members. The food and items that students brought in are donated to Middlesex Replenish, a food bank, along with Shehzori House, a women’s shelter.
The event kicked off at 4:00 PM with a line of members outside of the cafeteria, waiting to place their donations in the designated boxes. Each member was required to bring one food item and one toiletry item, which would fulfill one of their community service requirements to be a part of the society. Some of the food items donated include rice, canned foods, and pasta, while some of the toiletries were paper towels, soap, and toilet paper.
Once students dropped off their items into the boxes, they met up with their peers and sat down at tables to socialize. The cafeteria was decorated with numerous Christmas items such as small Christmas trees on the tables, lights, and wreaths which added to the festive vibe of the event. The J.P. Stevens DJ Club was also present at the event, providing the music that tied it all together. Members were also able to fundraise food items in order to have enough food for everyone attending the event.
As everyone talked amongst their friends, board member Aarushi Rai announced that the pizza was ready to be served. Storming the back tables that held the cheesy delights, students eagerly crowded the tables waiting to satisfy their hunger. Realizing that waiting for a line to form would be futile, volunteers and teachers decided to walk around with boxes of pizzas and plates, making sure each student got at least one slice. In addition to the pizza, members also brought Dunkin munchkins, cupcakes, and cookies for everyone to indulge in.
Students returned back to their tables to scarf down their pizzas and talk strategy to their friends for the next upcoming part of the night. Prior to the event, students signed up to be a part of a group to compete in a competition to see who could make the best gingerbread house. As members went back for seconds and even thirds, the board members were busy preparing for the event, making sure that everything was set in place for when the competitors arrived. They set up tables with cloths and cups that held the various items that the members could use to make the gingerbread houses.
Once all the food had been finished, board member Prajwala Immareddy then announced that the competition would be starting and that the groups should start taking their places at the tables. After the gingerbread packets had been handed out to each group, the challenge officially commenced, each group striving to come out on top. Throughout the building process, various group members got up to get more and more gingerbread to expand upon their houses. The cafeteria was filled with smiling students, laughing at both their failures and successes.
“Making the gingerbread house seemed like an impossible task for me and my friends,” said Junior Rohan Devineni. “Even though we really did not make the best house, I had a really fun time doing it with my friends and I would definitely do it again.”
Eventually, the timer to make the houses reached its last few seconds and the groups scrambled to make their last final touches. In order to have fair judges, the board members elected teachers Mr. Kuczynski and Mr. Cashin to have the final say in who won. After serious contemplation and consideration, walking down every aisle to get a good look at each house, they finally decided on the top three winners of the competitions. The board members then announced the winners to the groups, culminating a night of fun and festivity.
“Being a part of the group that made a top three gingerbread house was definitely a highlight for my night,” said senior Mihir Tadeparti. “The whole evening was a great time to be free of any stress, and I loved bonding with my friends over the frustration of making the perfect gingerbread house.”
Ultimately, the Navidad event was a success for the Spanish Honors Society as they accomplished their goal to give back to the community while simultaneously offering a fun time for their members.
