Townsend Harris’ annual Winter Carnival took place on Thursday, January 17 from 5:00-7:30 PM in the cafeteria. The Winter Carnival helps clubs, teams, and publications fundraise while simultaneously providing a fun night for students, teachers, parents, and friends. The carnival had more than 30 booths filled with activities, food, and games, including limbo from the Zumba Club, archery from the Robotics team, and henna from MSA. Admission was free, but attendees had the option to purchase tickets for $0.50.
This year’s event had a greater turnout compared to previous years. Senior Lucy Yang said, “A lot of people brought their siblings and friends from other schools.” Freshman Sai Choudari added, “Some [students] came with their parents and teachers came with their kids.”
One of the most popular booths at the Winter Carnival was the Girls’ track and cross country team’s karaoke booth. Senior Patrycja Lis, the team’s co-captain, said, “The idea came about when [one of our team members] asked in the track group chat if anyone had any innovative ideas for a carnival booth, and I suggested karaoke… The team was pretty enthusiastic about the idea. The overall experience was nice because everyone had a fun time singing and… it was nice running a booth for the first time.”
After going to his first Winter Carnival, freshman Saad Ahmed said, “My experience with the winter carnival was incredible. I was a part of the drama club, and my job was to help sell cookies and make some sort of profit with tickets. I was glad to be a part of this experience and I can’t wait for next year…..”
He added, “I worked at the JSA booth and helped make Butterbeer. I found the carnival very fun since we get to do activities with your friends and know that it goes to a good cause.” Many students agreed that the winter carnival was a great opportunity to not only provide funding for their club, but to also create lasting memories.
In order to make the carnival a memorable event, there was a great amount of planning. Club liaison senior Brenden Picione said, “Planning for the carnival includes making a map for the floor plan, advertising with posters and flyers, and being there the day of to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
Because the carnival consisted of 35 booths, it was essential that every aspect of the carnival was well planned. Coordinator of Student Activities Sarah Loew commented, “The club liaison has a winter carnival interest meeting for all clubs and teams. The details are discussed at the meeting and a Google form is sent out for groups to sign up and let us know if they need any special accommodations for the booth. We also promote the carnival using flyers and social media.”
“This year, the carnival was, to put it simply, amazing,” said junior Emily Tan. “In previous years, I either left early or did not go at all. I stayed until the end this year because it was so entertaining and engaging. I played cup pong and failed miserably, but the experience was very fun… I hope that we do this again next year and I hope others feel the same.”
Lucy continued, “I really enjoyed this year’s winter carnival. I’ve been to every one since freshman year and this year was the third (and last) time representing Seekers at the winter carnival. All of the teams and clubs definitely stepped up their game in terms of new and creative activities and I think that that’s what keeps winter carnival so fun every year. There’s always a new game or new food to try and it’s another event that shows just how diverse our interests are at Townsend.”
As Ms. Loew stated, “The winter carnival is a great opportunity for students, friends, and family to make great memories while supporting our extracurricular activities. There’s something fun to do for every age group so no one is left out and everyone can participate.”
