On February 24, 2024, Kaiser students attended the Freshman-Sophmore Banquet, located at the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel. Students enjoyed an evening of games, food, and a variety of other activities over the five-hour event. 

Organized by the leadership class, the banquet was held to give freshmen and sophomores an opportunity to have an out of school celebration that is typically reserved for upperclassmen.

Elliana Schiffner, a 14 year old freshman student, said that the Hilton had hosted the banquet in the past, but the theme changes every year, which allows room to think of new ideas. The ideas are generally up to the sophomores, but the freshmen organize and plan the event. 

As freshmen class president, Schiffner had to ensure that everything was done and ready for the event. In her opinion, leadership students worked hard and were striving to finish their work on time. 

“The challenges that we faced were not enough time. At first, we were waiting for sophomores to give us the lists of ideas they came up with, which took them a while. The other problem was collecting money and forms since there weren’t enough people for event payment,” said Schiffner.

Yet despite challenges, she shared many positive moments from the planning process.

“We were able to figure it all out, and for now, it seems to be all ready. The only worry is how it will go,” she said before the event.

Faith Mooney, also part of freshmen leadership, tried to complete her work quickly, so she would have time to help other groups as well. In her opinion, work was done on time and everyone was productive. 

She was responsible for thinking of the details for decorations and ideas, but she initially wasn’t able to do her work since she was waiting for sophomores’ ideas for the event. But eventually, they got the answers and it all worked out. 

“I’m planning to go with friends and have fun with them,” said Mooney. “I can’t wait to see how it all turned out and how it’s decorated, since it is the sophomore’s responsibility for decorating.” 

However, many students were apprehensive about the event because of its cost. 

Zoey Barrett, a freshman student, said that she didn’t attend because of previous experiences, where the cost often didn’t reflect the actual experience.

“A lot of school events just aren’t that great and I don’t want to spend $65 on something that’s just fine,” said Barett.

This sentiment was reciprocated by many other students, many of whom felt that the fee was just too much for something student organized. This was reflected in low sign-ups during the initial window, from Jan. 22-26 . However, the leadership class found that by extending the sign up by a week, more students signed up. There was also  contemplation about reducing the fee, but they ultimately decided to just extend the due date. 

The actual banquet was held in a banquet hall on the third story of the Hilton Waikiki Beach Hotel. Once students arrived at the check-in area, they were met with supervisors who divided them based on grade level. After students were checked in, they were allowed to enter the room.

When it came to the preparation, it was very well done. Each of the 40 tables were set nicely with a variety of utensils and decorations, as well as a name card that informed guests which table was theirs, with the number corresponding to the wristband given to them at the check-in table. However, the seating was fluid, and no one was forced to sit at the table they were assigned. 

The theme for the event was based on the Disney film “Tangled”, and the room and tables were decorated accordingly. The centerpiece of each table resembled the lanterns from the film, with sprinkles of white and purple flowers. There was also a backdrop of the film to take pictures with.

Until 6:30, students were urged to find their seats. After everything was settled, leadership came to the podium and announced the three games that would be played to determine which tables would be the first to eat.

The first game was called Team Pen, and the aim was to draw the picture on the selected paper as accurately as possible. However, the only people allowed to touch the pen were leadership, and attendees had to use five strings strung around the pen to move it. Once everyone was ready, they called out the number of the selected page, and students rushed to open the folder and complete the drawing. 

The second game was a braiding game, with the goal to create the longest braid out of string in a period of time. Ten groups were allowed to come to the floor at once, with one person from each table holding the end of the string. Then, when the timer started, everyone would rush to braid as fast as possible. This was by far the most fun game to watch, as the frantic nature of the game was enjoyable. 

The last game was an 11 question Kahoot about “Tangled”, with a variety of questions based around characters and events from the movie. Leadership students passed around a paper with a QR code for the game, with the intention to have one player for every table. 

Once all the games concluded, the winning groups were allowed to head up to the serving stations, followed by the remaining tables. There was a variety of food present, including a salad bar, platters of rice and meat, as well as rolls and tabs of butter. Seconds were encouraged, with no restrictions or waiting. 

After an hour, the anticipated ice cream bar opened. Vanilla ice cream was served in cups, with a range of toppings like chocolate sauce, macadamia nuts, sprinkles, and crumbled Oreos. 

After everybody had eaten, the dance floor opened. Over the two hours that the music played, the lights were dimmed and classics like “Beauty and a Beat” and “Yeah”, as well as other songs, were played. 

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The music was so loud that passing waitstaff who were collecting left-behind dishes were seen covering their ears. The participation was noticeable, with a majority of the students staying on the dance floor until the banquet ended at 10. 

David Kunihiro, a freshman attendee, said that the banquet surprised him and that he enjoyed it. Despite not really expecting anything besides the food, he found the event was well orchestrated, and that the venue really accommodated what was needed. He also complimented the DJ and the music choices.

In the end, this event was very enjoyable, with many student’s expectations being exceeded. It was evident that there was a lot of effort put into making the banquet as enjoyable as possible. Ultimately, giving students in leadership the ability to plan events like this allows them to represent what students actually want. Despite concerns, the event was very fun and supported the possibility of more Fresh-Soph banquets in the future at Kaiser.