It’s autumn, and you know what that means. Leaves turn brown, the temperature drops, and this school hosts its annual tradition: the Fall Festival.
The Wootton Cluster Fall Festival was held on Saturday, Oct. 26, and was organized by the school PTSA. The Fall Festival was open to nearby families and school cluster students. The event lasted from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., with setup and cleanup help provided by the school’s Patriot Ambassadors. Senior Rayna Panikulam said, “I was a Patriot Ambassador from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.”
The Fall Festival hosted activities including face painting, cakes, candy, a bounce house and tattoo and hair tinsel stations. Splanning set up a bean bag toss station rewarding young players with Sour Patch Kids (and older players on request) if they scored a cornhole. Students brought an array of contributions. While some manned stations, others contributed by bringing baked goods. “I brought two cakes that I made from scratch with my fellow SGA member Mihir Ayyagari,” senior and SGA member Abe Tare said.
The Fall Festival also had additional edible options. Students could choose from Chix N Stix fried chicken, Latin street food from Trippy Tacos, and shaved ice from Kona Ice. These food trucks lined the parking lot, offering hungry students food and beverages. Senior Alex Foster, who attended the Fall Festival as a Patriot Ambassador, said, “I ordered the award-winning Trippy Nachos from the Trippy Tacos food truck.”
Performances from school organizations were also held at the Fall Festival. The a cappella group, The Acatonics, show choir, and poms team all performed for a crowd of spectators. “We sang three songs at around 1:15 p.m. Singing my song, ‘Liar,’ by Davina Michelle, with a cappella, was probably the most fun part of the festival for me. I’m soloing that song for our competitions,” Panikulam, a member of the Acatonics, said.
Students simultaneously juggled multiple roles at the Fall Festival. Panikulam was a Patriot Ambassador in the morning, then later sang with her a cappella group. Senior Ashi Stanislaus said, “I was part of running the SGA cake take fundraiser, the poms bake sale, and I was part of the poms performance.”
Some school organizations required some students to attend the Fall Festival. Tare said, “I was at the Fall Festival for around one hour because I’m in SGA. I had a shift where I had to attend.”
Although some students were required to go, many attended to promote their own clubs or organizations or just have a good time at the school. “I went to have fun and engage with my community and at the Fall Festival, I did that. I look forward to similar events in the future,” Stanislaus said.
Like other students, Tare enjoyed the Fall Festival. “I had fun baking cakes and being able to participate in the Fall Festival,” Tare said.
