Homecoming, one of the biggest events of the high school year, features many fun festivities for everyone to get involved in. One such activity is the area build, a fun and creative expression of class themes.
However, due to its 4 a.m. wake-up call, the area build is arguably one of the hardest activities to participate in, not to mention the long school day after that dissuades many students from participating. Regardless, it is one of the most rewarding ways to spend some extra time messing around with friends and experience the eerie silence of a usually bustling campus.
“Our last area build was the best,” shared Iman Awais, a senior who was present and helped construct the senior’s build. “Waking up at 4:00 am was a challenge, but I had a blast decorating with my friends!”
Quick recap: the freshman area build followed the theme of “Greek Island,” the sophomore area build was inspired by “Wonderland,” the juniors based theirs on “Wasteland,” and the seniors recreated “Neverland.” With these differing themes, it was no surprise that each class had a very unique build, with each set involving student-made crafts and fun props.
The freshmen designed props that modeled ancient Greek architecture, such as the beautiful white pillars and walls one would see at the Parthenon or the Temple of Hera. Upon entering, many students felt as though they had been taken back in time to the Golden Age of Greece.
Sophomores definitely took advantage of their spacious room, decorating it with hanging cards and colorful ornaments following their theme. Students started off by walking through a tunnel, much like the rabbit hole, and found themselves in an entirely different setting filled with color—perfect for pictures!
The juniors created a zombie-themed haunted house of sorts, complete with classic jumpscares. Indeed, with kids jumping out from behind tables to grab guests’ ankles and startle them, the juniors’ build was reminiscent of a classic horror movie! Other juniors played dead on the stage, resembling dead bodies in a graveyard.
As for the seniors, the first section of their room started off with a recreation of the children’s bedroom from Disney’s Peter Pan. As guests walked through the second doorway, they were swept away to Neverland, a place of youth, wonder, and nostalgia! A model of Pirate’s Cove was featured in the back along with Mermaid’s Lagoon and many other mystical parts of the island.
After everyone’s hard work, each class was greeted with a lovely breakfast, courtesy of the parent representatives, consisting of delicious muffins, zombie-green pancakes, hot chocolate, and more!
Overall, this year’s area build was a success, and many students agree! Senior Saiyana Uthayasegar shared: “I thought it was really fun […] I definitely enjoyed helping out and spending the morning with friends. The food especially was amazing.” Aditi Barua, a junior, shared a similar sentiment: “I enjoyed the area builds and seeing what everyone’s hard work culminated to. The food was pretty good too.”
