Author | Lydia Rice |
It was hot. There were bunches of people randomly scattered on the blacktop. I wanted to cut across, but I was stopped by the administration at the registration table. I got my gold-colored wristband and began my mission.
See, I came to SGA 360 with a very specific purpose.
Maybe you’ve all heard of SGA 360. Maybe you haven’t.
I went last year - the very first year of this event - and I still wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
But you should know this, SGA 360 is important. It’s Scholars Guild’s first High School event of the year. It sets the tone for the school year because it heralds a new beginning. We were promised food, friends, and fun!
I didn’t think that this advertising - although amazingly alliterative - would work on me. I came for three reasons and only one of them was listed in the promotional. The promise of - and threats from - friends have dragged me many places, even Winter Banquet.
For me, last year’s SGA 360 wasn’t really fun in and of itself. It was quirky and random and sometimes very confusing.
But, I was interested in seeing what had changed. I was interested in meeting the new people. Most importantly, I was interested in sticking a camera in their faces and seeing what they had to say about the whole affair.
I started with the Student Life Committee. You might have seen them in the short promo clips for SGA 360. They’re in charge of planning and executing student events, and so who better to interview first? Plus, I will be the first to tell you that their President has an incredible sense of humor (I’m looking at you, Miranda Pepe).
But, my plans were thwarted. The SLC does not plan SGA 360. Huh. I quickly wiped the dumbfounded look off my face (although some tell me it’s a permanent fixture) and asked Emma Harper, SLC member, who exactly does organize SGA 360 and what the SLC did do.
“We filmed a few short promotional things, but really this was all the Admin.” Her hands waved expressively and she had an intense look of concentration. As a proud preacher’s kid, Emma has an orthodox gravitas that would not be out of place in the early American church, where people marched down pews hitting men with sticks to keep them awake during sermons.
I was impressed by the Admin’s efforts, but my interview questions had been shot. Fortunately, I had a few ideas left. I asked Emma and Miranda, “What’s one word you would use to describe SGA 360?”
“I guess exciting because it’s only our second year doing this and so there’s a lot of unknown. But, it’s exciting unknown. I trust the Admin.” Emma’s face of concentration split into a sharp grin. Emma has a smile that compels you to smile - out of shared excitement and underlying intimidation. She’s brilliant and can (and will) debate Star Wars and Marvel endlessly.
“Energetic?” Miranda looked dubious but rallied. “Yeah! Energetic, energetic for...the school year!”
I agreed, if you can’t stop the school year from coming, might as well have fun. This was, of course, before my first test.
I waved Miranda and Emma off with a smile, thanking them for their cooperation and issuing vague promises that they’d see the results soon. They huddled in a corner after I left. “Journalists…” they lamented, probably wondering what exactly I was going to do with that footage and who was medicated enough to give me the power to be nosier than normal.
Their worried looks spurred me on and I rushed to find some returning students and terrify more innocents. Wendy (left picture) and Ellie (right picture) Bender - some of the most relatable, straight-up nice people to walk these halls - assured me that they “were actually excited. We had fun last year.”
Unfortunately, I had to postpone my search for new students when I rushed right into Kate and Ricky and obviously had to stop. Kate Ash and Ricky Harper (yes, related to Emma) are also on the SLC and are the most amusing duo this side of Superfriend’s Batman and Robin.
“So, if you guys could describe SGA 360 in one word, what would it be?”
Kate immediately had her answer (“Words!”), but Ricky looked distressed like he had something clever to say that can’t be constrained to just one word. “Does it have to be one word or can it be - like - a phrase?”
“It can be anything,” I promised.
“Small fries build each other up,” he said seriously. Kate immediately chimed in, “Small fries are the power of words.”
See guys, this - this excellent ability to play off each other - is why Ricky and Kate are dynamic.
But, all of this witty banter still hadn’t answered my questions. What was SGA 360 about this year? What will we do? Would it be worth it?
Well, like Kate said, SGA 360 was about words. Apparently, that was the event’s theme. I remained oblivious until Mrs. Walker told me at the end of the night, and then all the obvious evidence hit me like a sack of potatoes.
In the parking lot, there was a small station set up with little games using Scrabble tiles. These games played off the “word” theme and challenged the players to use their brains. (Clearly, I wasn’t the target demographic.) It took simple concepts - draw three letters from a bowl and use all of them to make as many words as possible as fast as possible - and turned them into fairly fun competitions. Winners for the longest word, most words, and other achievements received prizes.
Full disclosure: I was terrible at all of them. Justin Burnett graciously gave me a list of all the words I should have made, but how many words can you make with JOR?
I’m not sure how many people actually tried all three stations. Most of the games were only fun if you were joined by a lot of people, and particularly a group of friends. But, these word games personified Scholars Guild’s nerdy qualities so well that it made me smile.
After this, I remembered the color on my wristband meant something and hurried off to find my small group. These groups were made of a bunch of randomly assigned people across all grades in High School with the same wristband, and also, the perfect place to find new interview targets.
Our group leader was Candy Watts. I already knew her through her daughter Caty, but when she pulled out a huge bag of chocolate for the icebreaker, my fondness grew exponentially.
Breaking into small groups and playing icebreaker games was the first thing that the Admin kept from last year and it was a good call. It’s the easiest way to get to know people, especially new people. It was actually one of the most honestly fun parts of the night - although Kelsey Howlett judo-flipping me to the ground may have caused some worry about the sanity levels at our school. Speaking as a main distributor of insanity, they are not good...but we have fun.
As the Papa John's truck rolled in amid cheers, groups of students sat down to eat all along the sidewalk in front of the building. After everyone had seconds, and the occasional third, Mrs. Boeckman came out with a megaphone - students prayed she wouldn’t get too attached - and moved us all into the main building to be divided by our grade levels.
For the main events, Freshman and Sophomores were corralled into an Octoball pen, while Juniors and Seniors went on a Scavenger Hunt. Once respective events ended, they would switch and the Juniors and Seniors were thrown into the Octoball pen outside and 9th and 10th graders roamed the campus on a Scavenger Hunt.
The Scavenger Hunt is another aspect they reused from last year, and I think it works on a lot of levels.
Although as Kelsey said to a sheepish - but triumphant - Haley James, “The only people that win are the people that cheat and don’t link arms and stuff!”
You really do establish a connection with people when absolutely no one can breathe from running too hard across campus and completing the most random, extra tasks together. Personally, I’m still bitter about having to eat baby food and I can’t run. In fact, I’m pretty sure I have asthma, no matter how much my doctor likes to call it “lack of exercise.”
But, you can’t argue with democracy and by the end of the night, I talked to a lot of people that thought the Scavenger Hunt was the best part, both returning and new people.
Frankly, I was surprised, albeit pleasantly, by the largely positive reception. All the elements from the hunt last year had been reused as far as I could tell. Mrs. Wright is still sadistically managing the “eat baby food” station. Hopefully, they’ll mix things up next year. Sadly, I’ll have to read future journalism articles, if I manage not to die from being a Senior. (Justin did a great article on that, read it.)
Honestly, though, my personal favorite part of the night was Octoball. I don’t know who came up with the genius idea to put about forty teenagers into a small confined area and give them dodge-balls to hit each other with, but they deserve the Nobel Prize. While Walker Payton, Javi Calvo, and Josiah Joyce all did excellent jobs at being the last ones standing, Izzy Fleetwood’s pure showmanship made me care less about getting pegged in the head with a dodgeball and more about watching in awe.
Also, the world domination part of me agrees that the game reveals a lot about people’s survival skills and personality traits, and I am absolutely not going to use this moment to call out no-good, rotten traitors (*cough* Abigail Hanglider) who shoved people in front of the ball.
(Pictured above are 9th and 10th grade Octoball champions, Lucy Heaner, Denver Smith, and Anna Yount.)
After those two events, SGA 360 traditionally ends with a short Biblical message back inside the church and then breaking into assigned small groups of people in your grade to talk about what the message was. Strangely, the theme is always unity and friendship - this time, it specifically focused on the words you say.
The structure of this is pretty smart. Everyone’s tired from running around and if you’re new, you’ve kinda found people you click with - you have someone to sit with and you don’t feel too awkward sharing your opinion. Breaking up each grade is even smarter. Last year, it was everyone from one grade in a huge circle and a lot less conducive to opening up. I feel like everyone had things to say, but “not in front of them.”
Still, I think a lot of people, perhaps especially those who didn’t go to SGA 360, see this as a trite idea. Oh great, a sermon about friendship. Let me listen to lessons I’ve heard since I was born.
Some even view it as hypocritical because, let’s be honest, everyone at our school has had moments where we’ve felt isolated from our classmates. Sometimes it’s an intentional snub, but most of the time it’s just a byproduct of how self-absorbed we are. Either way, it hurts.
And it stings more because hey, these guys are supposed to be Christians. They’re not supposed to be self-absorbed. They have Instagram bios with cutesy, inspirational bible verses. They talk big: “love thy enemy.” They’ll post pictures encouraging you to “love thy neighbor.” And yet, they won’t even return your wave unless their friends aren’t around.
You know these people because maybe “they” is you. Maybe just one time, you didn’t talk to someone that you didn’t know who was reaching out because you didn’t know what to say and felt more comfortable talking to your friends. It’s not something that makes you a terrible person and there’s no one who hasn’t done this, but it is an action with a consequence.
And that’s what I loved about SGA 360. I - who had mixed feelings from last year and was almost tempted to ditch the last section for a smoothie - came to a realization during my small group. I’m a Senior. We are Seniors (looking at you, class of ‘19). But more importantly, I’m a Christian. We are to lead and be led. What we do and what we say changes the world.
I’m also a cynic. I’m the type of person who is like “let’s be real, I won’t even see these people in college, much less thirty years down the line.” But change works slowly, and the present is the only thing we can control. So, step up and just do your best. Take chances on people and keep yourself accountable.
Me? I’m riding on the fact that one of my friends will be the next Bill Gates and give me an island in Hawaii or something.
SGA 360 isn’t necessarily a cool, epic event. It’s not like having a color run with a ton of paint and a bunch of craziness. It’s more quiet, more nerdy, more random. And, if you take a step back from yourself, it’s more loving. SGA 360 is a mirror reflection of our school.
Yeah, it isn’t perfect. Neither is Scholars Guild. Neither are we. But, as I left the event, I was filled with a surprising undercurrent of optimism for this year - my last year - that I hadn’t had before. Time keeps turning. SGA 360 will improve. Scholars Guild will improve. I will improve.
Best of all, SGA 360 and our school share the same strengths too. Their greatest asset is undeniably the people there - us. (And also, ya know, God)
There are incredible people in our school. Just from going around interviewing people and demanding entertainment (“Tell me a joke!”), I realized how much fun I was having. I remembered how genuinely nice everyone could be.
(To the right is Emily Knight with a real zinger. See the video at theguildgazette on instagram)
So, in closing, I’d like to provide a list of more amazing people I ran into during my interviews. We didn't manage to fit pictures of all of them, but I'm sure you'll be able to hunt them down!
Haley James - both open and stubborn, a great person to debate. She’s a literal staple of
Scholars Guild. One of those rare people with a wit sharp enough to cut you, but funny enough to make you love her for it.
Nate Sommers - “Are you a Senior?” “No, I’m in ninth grade, but I get that a lot.” Works at Tradewinds - great place to get coffee - and a genuinely cool person to eat pizza with on the concrete.
Jana Lawson - New to Scholars Guild, Jana’s a fantastic person to get to know. She’s one of those rare people whose smile immediately betrays them as really, really nice. She came because "Ridge really, really wanted me to!" Ridge Powelson is another SLC member and one of the friendliest people that you've probably already met because he makes it a point to find you.
Justin Burnett - Known prominently as “the really loud kid that likes debating” Justin is also easily one of the most brilliant people at Scholars Guild and always up for a round of cards.
Samantha Childers - Described as “very quirky - like, I’m weird - but she’s cool and quirky” by Kelsey Howlett. Samantha had the dubious pleasure of being in my small group. She’s new to the school, but joined Yearbook and has just as much fun as I do sticking cameras in people’s faces.
And there were so, so many more incredible, talented, and hilarious individuals (Hannah Strange, Seth Newman, Sarah Fountain, McCartney Warr, Javi Calvo, etc) that I’d love to feature, but you know what? Don’t be lazy. Go meet them yourselves.
The Guild Gazette’s theme this month is new beginnings. The best new beginnings start with new perspectives. SGA 360 changed my perspective for the better. It didn’t erase realism; it just added optimism. Jesus used words to call people out AND build them up after all.
Love thy annoying neighbor. Forgive the Pharisee for they know not what they do. Hold yourself accountable. And, for the love of chocolate, say “hi” to people.
So yeah, SGA 360 is still this quirky, small, random, crazy event that hasn’t changed much from last year, but it totally owns it. Everyone I talked to left knowing someone else a little bit better and that’s a pretty great tone to set for the school year.
If you’re on Instagram or if you hack onto your Mom’s Instagram, definitely check out the 360 video interview @theguildgazette.
Describe SGA 360 in one word.
Does it have to be one word or can I use a phrase?
Phrases are good.
You got me.