Northside students engage in both new and annual fall activities
by John Mederich 

The fall season at Northside is a time of the year when students join sports, get involved with clubs, and get to know their classmates and teachers. The fall season also marks the time of year when some of Northside’s biggest events, most notably the Back-to-School Dance and the Halloween Dance, take place.

“There are good sports in the fall,” Lily Ho, Adv. 104, said. “It’s nice when there is soccer outside, volleyball in the gym, and people in the pool.”

Freshmen Field Day is one of the annual events associated with fall at Northside and occurred on October 7 this year. Freshmen Field Day is an event that aims to introduce freshmen to one another through participation in various activities such as a pumpkin carving contest and a tug of war challenge. Freshmen Field Day encouraged freshmen to make new friends and partake in a social event that aimed to help them better adjust to Northside. For freshmen, the beginning of the school year can be tough as they must adjust to a new learning environment. Freshmen Field Day gave many freshmen the opportunity to take a break from schoolwork and establish friendships.

 “It was really fun,” Grisel Hernandez, Adv. 307, said. “The pumpkin carving was pretty intense and the tug of war was funny to watch because everyone from one side fell down.”

Northside also hosted the annual Back-to-School Dance in September, the first dance of the school year. Every year a new theme is selected to accompany the Back-to-School Dance. Last year’s Back-to-School Dance was centered on a Toga theme. However, this year’s theme was Beauty and the Geek, a dance which gave students the opportunity to dress up as either a “beauty” or a “geek.” This year’s Back-to-School Dance theme was chosen on the basis of a majority of votes by students which were made using moodle.

Some Northside students believe that this year’s Back-to-School Dance was better than last year’s in respective aspects.

 “[This year’s Back-to-School Dance] was a lot better,” Jennifer Shen, Adv. 207, said.  “The music was better and the DJ was really good.”

The Back-to-School Dance has been regarded as one of Northside’s most popular fall events by many students, though the Halloween Dance has also garnered its share of popularity amongst the student body as well.

“…Everyone loves [the Halloween Dance], and everyone dresses up, and everyone has fun,” Karen Li, Adv. 018, said.

At the Halloween Dance, many students dressed up in Halloween costumes and revealed their creativity by wearing a costume to the dance they either designed themselves or bought.  This year’s Halloween Dance, which was held on October 30, had contests which awarded students based on their appearance at the dance. Prizes for the Best Group Costume, Best Couple Costume, and Best Individual Costume were given to those who participated in the dance based on the appearance of their costumes. Also present at the dance was a picture booth where students could get their pictures taken individually or as a group.

“I think it went okay,” Stephanie Fonseca, Adv. 201, said. “However, the last fifteen minutes of music kind of sucked because you couldn’t dance to it.”

While the Halloween Dance has stood as a tradition that returns to Northside annually, Fall Frolic is not such a fortunate event. Although Northside has held the Fall Frolic event in past years, it will not be returning this year. Fall Frolic informs students about the dozens of clubs offered at Northside and each club’s goal and purpose through presentation boards and brochures. Many students believe that Fall Frolic has been very helpful in informing them about certain clubs. Although the Fall Frolic did not make an appearance this year, there is still a chance that the event will resume next year.

“I hope Fall Frolic returns next year because you get informed about what clubs do at Northside,” Lananh Ho, Adv. 204, said.

Overall, the fall season gives students the opportunity to not only fully engage themselves in their academic studies but also get involved in various school activities. Northside offers many clubs and sports for students to be part of during the fall. If one is unable to participate in a club or sport, he can still get involved in activities by attending some of Northside’s major events. The fall season is full of events and opportunities for students to take part in and participating in such events can give students the opportunity to make the most of their Northside experience.