Every year, the ACP faculty puts on a truly extraordinary event- the back to school pool party. At six pm, The Hamilton Aquatic center floods with ACP families for a night full of swimming, water slides, and delicious food and drinks generously donated by the student body.

Not even five minutes into the event and almost everyone dived straight into the cold and refreshing water to cool off from the heat and begin their night of fun. I’ve never seen a pool full of so many people; it was as if the entire school came along for the fun. Not only did the students come for a great time, but the teachers and their families came to have a blast as well. Dr. Hester, Mrs. Michaelson, Mrs. Berger, and Mr. Montano all brought their kids to swim and climb around on the interactive water playground composed of water fountains and a mini slide.

The aquatic center provided the swimmers with several attractions including water slides, a small playground for the kiddos, diving boards, and a whirlpool that was almost impossible to escape. Overall, the diving boards truly seemed to be a hit for everybody. ACP students new and old took turns showing off their skills as they performed some elegant (and some not-so elegant) front flips, back flips, and dives. At the same time, there was a never-ending line for the water slides as those adrenaline junkies took turns riding the twists and turns over and over. Personally, I preferred to swim leisurely with my friends, but I enjoyed seeing the crazy events occur first hand.

When 6:30 rolled around, everyone jumped out of the pool and got in line for a grab at the plentiful food that filled the eating area. Pizzas, pastas, and desserts galore lined the tables as the hungry families waited anxiously for a bite. The delicious food was a hit as people kept coming for more and more as there was plenty to go around.

Once everyone enjoyed their food, they hit the pools once more, after waiting 20 minutes, of course. For the rest of the night, friends and families alike swam the night away. A few of our swim team members even went against each other in a race, including students Ryan Redmond, Taylor Smith, and Nolan Murphy.

The weather was a major plus of the night. Though slightly cloudy, the weather was a measly 100 degrees, which at this point in the Arizona summer seems almost cold. The perfect weather continued when we managed to go the entire night without getting rained out. The streak of the pool party getting doused with rain has officially come to an end!

As the clock struck 9, the party had officially come to end. Mr. Bickes closed us out, and everyone slowly made their way out of the aquatic center with plenty of memories of a night that will be entirely too hard to forget. I guess you could say that everything went swimmingly.