Here We Go: The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

Last week, Homecoming festivities came to an end with the long-awaited Mad Hatter’s Tea Party on Friday, March 5th. Students enjoyed a pleasant lunch party hosted by StuGo during their respective lunch hours, chatting with their friends while eating a slice of pizza or plate of chicken wings.

Thanks to StuGo, the cafeteria was spiced up to fit the aesthetic of a Disney-inspired lunch, aka, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Black tablecloths covered all the tables, adorned with a bright centerpiece withholding streamers and confetti. On one side of the cafeteria wall, fake vines dangled from ceiling to floor, while various Disney movie songs played softly in the background. Students dressed themselves in semi-formal wear, a part of Friday’s theme as part of Spirit Week, while teachers joined in on the fun, showing up in their finest garments.

Pre-dating Friday’s spectacular Homecoming lunch, the Monday through Thursday consisted of fun dress-up days for Spirit Week. On Monday, students arrived on campus dressed in their pajamas, sweats, hoodies, and slippers, enjoying the Sleeping Beauty-inspired Pajama Day. Tuesday consisted of neater attire, with students partnering up and showing up as twins for Hansel and Gretel’s Twin Day.

Elsa and Moana took over Wednesday with their Winter v. Summer magic, sprinkling the student body into various floral and cool colors. On Thursday, for Monochrome Day, students turned up dressed in one color completely, from black to blue to purple, symbolizing the Colors of the Wind from Disney’s hit movie, Pocahontas.

Of course, Homecoming isn’t Homecoming without the Homecoming Court. In the freshmen class, Erin Fitzharris and Mason Kintner were nominated as Homecoming Lady and Lord respectively. For the tenth graders, Samantha Smith and Sawyer Smith were announced as Homecoming Duchess and Duke. The Junior Homecoming Princess and Prince were Shalini Batra and Aksh Iyer, while for the seniors, Cami Gregory and Noah Croft were named Homecoming Queen and King.

When asked about how they felt in the moment they found out they had won the senior Homecoming Court, Cami and Noah described different experiences. Cami was washing the dishes when she happened to glance down at her phone, only to see a message telling her the news. “But I ran to my mom and told her,” Cami said. “We hugged and she was very happy for me.”

For Noah, the instant feeling was surprise: “When I found out, I was quite shocked because I was 99.7% sure Kellen Gibson was going to win, along with his girlfriend, Emily Garces.” Noah explained that he had already won Homecoming Duke last year, in his junior year, so that his 2021 nomination for Homecoming King was a total bombshell. “I made no effort this year to ask people to vote for me, especially because Hoco was five months late and most people weren’t aware of it still happening.”

Cami celebrated her nomination with her sister, Cassi Gregory, who had previously won Prom Queen when she had attended ACP. “We had a small photo shoot with our crowns,” Cami laughed. Unlike Cami, Noah’s moment of celebration was stolen by his fourth hour: “I didn’t find out until I was told to come to the courtyard for a meeting.”

In regard to the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, Noah displayed his enthusiasm over how StuGo handled matters: “The Hoco Lunch was SO cute! The food was great, the centerpieces and tables were gorgeous, and the Disney music just sent me!” Just as Noah described it, ladies and gentlemen, the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party was a hit with the students. A huge thanks to StuGo for the effort and hard work put in to give our campus a lovely tea party! Go, Knights!