The Student Council held a large barbeque Friday for the junior class at Pardee Park in Palo Alto starting right after school.

Council members planned the barbeque because they wanted to hold a social event that would not only help bring the junior class together but also be fun. Organizers (some included Robin Chang, Alex Snell, Jane Griffin, Dan Griffin, and the rest of the Student Council class) anticipated that 50-100 juniors would attend. While there was no actual head count, a large turnout came to enjoy free food, fun games, nice weather, and their classmates. Activities included Frisbee, water-balloon fights, snacks, and time to lay in the sun.

“I think these planned class events are a great way for people to reach out and get to know other people in their class,” junior Student Council member Alex Snell said. Snell believes that these events are, “positive because they promote class unity and friendships are important to having a cohesive class.”

Probably because the barbeque was the most highly publicized junior event thus far, more juniors were in attendance than at previous gatherings.

“We don’t get to do a lot as a class so this is a great opportunity to all hang out, and hey, there is free food,” junior Emily Long said. Free food, which attracted many students, was something the planners hoped students would respond to. Juniors like Marty Schneider and Becca Hagemann, however, simply wanted to take advantage of the beautiful day.

“It’s a beautiful day, and it’s time for fun in the sun with my fellow junior classmates." Hagemann said. "Everyone’s so stressed out lately, it’s nice to be able to hang out with people outside of school and just relax.”

“I wanted to come to the barbeque to not only hang out with my friends, but also to meet and reconnect with my other classmates,” junior Rachel Freier-Miller said.

“I’m glad everyone gets to hang out in a relaxed location,” the event according to junior Stephanie Henner said. The environment played a large role, junior student council member Anique Drumright, who was very excited about the ambiance.

“I’m glad we are able to realize that our class can have fun while doing something in a positive atmosphere,” Drumright said. These events are used to promote not only unity but fun in a safe environment. Every semester, each leadership class plans an activity for their class to participate in, mostly in effort to unify the classes outside of an academic school atmosphere. For this semester, the senior class event was the Cinco De Mayo party on the quad, the sophomore event will be a pizza party before finals, and the freshmen sold Jamba Juice’s on the quad after school on May 13.