Bustling stations, sharp outfits, decorated faces, towering bouncy castles, and more were present on the eventful evening of last Friday. This was the The Back to School Bash – an annual BHA event which everyone anticipates the coming of from weeks before. The Bash is may be called the most universal BHA event, as upon walking into it at approximately 6:00PM on September 20th, 2024, when the floods of people were beginning, you would have seen such a range of people – from the youngest batch of students from Little Horizons Academy, to our school’s seniors, and from previous students to current teachers, and from parents to various out of school vendors.
Organized by the school’s behavioral counselor, Ms. Zaira Abu-Baker, the Bash consisted of stations all the way from entertaining games such as ‘Guess the Teacher’, in which you had to match a current BHA teacher to their childhood picture, to food vendors from well known companies such as BigDash.
For younger kids, there were many activities such as face painting, arts and crafts, and fun bouncy castles. Some kids had stronger preferences than others. “The outside was fine, but the inside was really fun!”, said Maryam Mustafa, a 2nd grader at BHA, whose face paint was that of a pink cat. Other children, such as 5th grader, Yusuf Maalik, were found outside, “running around with friends”, as he said. You could find countless children, including Ms. Mustafa, carrying hard-earned prizes such as fidget toys or sand bottle art (filling up a jar with variously colored layers of sand until the jar is complete).
For older students, there were activities such as the senior fundraiser ‘Dunk Tank’. In it, students would attempt to ‘dunk’ their fellow classmates, while paying a dollar each to make an attempt. There was a consistent crowd surrounding the tank, so the seniors likely got their funds!
In addition to fun for all ages, the Bash also harbored signs of inter-club rivalries. For instance, regarding the aforementioned ‘Guess the Teacher’ game, the first observation one could make about this table would have been its proximity to the perhaps equally popular ‘Make us Laugh’ station, the former being run by the STUCO (Student Council) and the latter by the MIST (Muslim Interscholastic Tournament) club. Surprising information was gained upon an interview with a certain BHA senior, about STUCO and MIST’s ongoing rivalry.
After being questioned about the STUCO station, ‘Guess the Teacher’, MIST Co-President Hania Hashmi had some words. “I was very invested in winning, guessing the teachers, and getting the candy– but there was this internal conflict because of the fact that they [STUCO] were neighbors to our MIST ‘Make us Laugh’, and oftentimes I would be competing with them to see who could get more people to our respective stations – and you know, I feel like we did it better. They were OK.”
Besides this subtle yet ongoing competition, there were other interesting events at the Bash. Many small businesses and online shops were selling a variety of merchandise, such as Rezinas Handmade Resin Art, which consisted of beautifully decorated paintings, clocks, and ornaments. The owner, Ms. Enas Awad Abusaad, said, “I heard about this school’s event, and had to register my booth! We are trying to reach further with our business and this was an excellent opportunity.”
Of course, the vast majority of activities had an audience of practically anyone at the Bash, whether they were an elementary school student or a high school teacher. Henna art, Drink Toss, raffles, and countless other stations could be visited by almost anyone.
Mrs. Uzma Sheikh, mother of 3, expressed her appreciation of the diverse nature of the Bash. “There truly is something for everyone here. All of my children found their own activities – one of my sons on the bounce castles, the other sitting here taking a break, while my daughter is off with her friends[…] Even I’ve been busy this whole time catching up with friends here and meeting new people.” This was certainly true, as she had to cut her statements short several times due to being greeted by other guests.
There were many people at the Back to School Bash this year. Just like previous years, this annual event had an excellent turnout, and almost anyone you would have run into would be happily busy with whatever activity they were doing or friend they were with. Bringing people closer together by allowing our community to connect through meeting friends, old and new, welcoming visitors as guests and vendors, and simply having a good time, is what the Bash was all about.
