The Fall Festival is an annual tradition of fun for both students and families. Mrs. Lusk, the head of the lower school Whitehurst campus and a contributor to the event, looks forward to the festival every year. “I would say it’s been going for more than 20 years,” said Lusk, “it’s been a long standing tradition definitely.”
Even though the name remains the same, the organizers of the event do their best to try to shake it up every year so things don’t feel stale. This keeps the attendance high and the energy even higher. This year, the Fall Festival, hosted on October 25, had some exciting new features.
“This year, we had a couple of additions to the Fall Festival,” said Lusk. “The crew captains transformed the upstairs of their boathouse into a funhouse which had games and activities which the kids absolutely loved.”
There’s a couple of activities that always stand out to students. “Jazzy jars is up there as one of the most popular activities, cake walk,” said Lusk, “and Jacob’s ladder, a game where a rope ladder is tied to two trees and students have to try to get across and ring the bell.”
After the event is held, the Fall Festival committee meets to discuss possible improvements. “The committee who runs the festival runs a review meeting every year to go over what went right and what we could change to make it better.”
The attendance stays pretty consistent throughout the years. “More than 200 students and their families attend the Fall Festival annually, so just over 500 people per year,” said Lusk. “It’s probably our most well-attended event, we do a lot of events for students and families but this is a student favorite and a parent favorite so it’s very special.”
Upper school students can get involved too, as they can volunteer for community service hours. The students can voice their opinions alongside faculty and parents to make the experience better and better.
Lusk’s favorite part of the festival isn’t a physical activity or game, it’s the overall feeling around the annual event. “Just the community and being able to come together and celebrate a night together, there’s always great energy and excitement, and that’s what it’s all about.”
The Fall Festival was a huge hit this year, Lusk said, and will continue to be an exciting and joyous event for Bolles students and faculty.
