Winterpalooza Activities Generate Little Interest in Students

By Alexandria Hiponia

In the dead of winter, the SGA is trying to bring students' spirits up by attempting to organize various activities and events to participate in or attend, such as Gatorball, Laser Tag, the Gong Show, and the not-so-popular Snow Ball, to create this winter-long event called Winterpalooza. Most of these activities spark little interest in the student body because they appear to be pointless, boring, and almost as amusing as watching grass grow. It's a shame people aren't buying into it. But then again, who can blame them? There are parties to go to and movies to see, rather than come back to school and enjoy a school-sponsored activity.
In recent years, student turnout for some of the SGA-sponsored events has been low, mostly because of personal opinions about the activities. Although a handful of people enjoy going to certain activities, more students dislike them because of the lack of appealing events. The SGA had, "higher expectations," for attendance to Winterpalooza this year, according to SGA sponsor and teacher Michael Hertz.
"It's hard to draw people to new activities," Hertz commented. Students took some interest in Gatorball and Hoop It Up, while the new "Win a Date with a Senior Gentleman" and Laser Tag did not receive as much attendance as hoped for. Hertz said Snow Ball attendance reached an estimated 100 to 300 students this year and 300 to 400 students at the Gong Show last year, but many are still skeptical to attend such events next year.
Many students don't feel the need to show up in the first place because they know no one else will be there. Freshman Daniel Stettner said, "It's like a cycle. No one goes in the first place, so people are like, 'Oh, no one's going so I'm just not going to go.'" If the only people who show up to these so-called fun events are the students working at the events and their own friends, there doesn't appear to be a point to even holding them. According to Sophomore Carlin Bowersox, the students who actually go to the activities only attend for the sake of "moral support of their friends working at the events." No one wants to go to a school-sponsored event and end up being the only person who shows up. Bowersox commented, "I wouldn't go [to the Winterpalooza activities] if I was just by myself."
Even the word "Winterpalooza" doesn't jolt students' memories, in some cases. Veluz said, "Nobody really tells you about [Winterpalooza]... It just kind of happens and you're like, 'what?!'" Banners, flyers, and signs are posted throughout the hallways. Announcements about upcoming events are also advertised on Good Morning Robinson. Senior Dylan Welter said, "I don't actually know most of the activities because I'm always doing homework during the morning announcements." If all of these reminders are circulating throughout the entire school and yet students tend to pass them by, there must be something wrong. It might be a sign that people are just not interested. Way to talk about wasted effort.
The biggest reason why students don't even bother attending the events is because of the need to attend to their own hectic lives. Junior Baha Elayan said, "I don't attend after school activities because that means I have to come back to school." Bowersox claimed people don't go because, "Everyone's busy with midterms and tests." Sophomore Tina Connor said, "No one goes to things [at school] on a Saturday night... It's a Saturday. People are out partying with their friends."
If the SGA is trying to cater towards the students when deciding these Winterpalooza activities, there is room for improvement there, as well. Welter said, "It seems like the SGA and administrators are the only ones choosing the events." Hertz said, "The [SGA officers] get in groups and decide on what they want to do... Usually, they [take ideas and] bounce them off their friends...The administration has final approval [of the activities]." According to freshman class Vice President Peter Yount, the upperclassmen in the SGA leadership class "have the most say" about what events occur for Winterpalooza. Bowersox said, "If we had a say in the SGA, it'd be better... What [the SGA] should do is pick a couple of [activities] and have the student population vote on what they want to do." Welter also agreed with the idea of a student poll. "If the SGA had a poll for Homecoming activities and Winterpalooza, we'd have cool activities," he said. In other words, the Student Government is supposed to serve the students and could improve on that duty by catering towards what their peers want to do.
The SGA appears to be slightly desperate to get the student body to lighten up a little and have some fun. In order to do that, they should rethink the events and ask the students what they would want to do. The hype of Homecoming week brings out the best in people, so how about holding something to the same effect? Freshman Arielle Tenorio suggests holding another carnival-style event, similar to Taste of Robinson. Bowersox enjoyed the pep rally during Homecoming and would want to do it again. Hertz agreed that "[The SGA] tries to get the same response as Homecoming week [and] be spirited about school," but also said, "This school has a lot of groups. It's hard to get everyone together [and] it's a challenge to have an event that brings everyone together."
If the SGA would kindly consider the opinions of the entire student body, perhaps there would be more variety in the activities. Surveys, polls, and written suggestions for activities would be a better alternative to just holding the annual activities no one bothers attending. After all, a fresh eye on things never hurts.

By Stephanie Axelrod |  March 23, 2007; 8:32 AM ET
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