Imagine a sea of white tents, a huge stage by the steps, and the Maggie Walker community bustling about. That probably isn’t too hard, seeing as this scene was a reality a few weeks ago during Maggie Walker’s annual Fall Festival. This student-led festival helped benefit the community, allowing students, faculty, and their families and friends to purchase food and participate in games to help support the Maggie Walker clubs in raising funds. In addition, there were also many performances celebrating music and culture. 

Student volunteers were responsible for manning the booths at Fall Fest. Freshman Viva Sitani, for example, volunteered at the CLICC booth. Her role involved asking trivia questions and pie-ing the President of the club, junior Shorya Malani, when the club raised enough money. “It was a good feeling to know that each dollar we were collecting was going towards paying for a student fee,” Sitani said. “You're also helping the community and the Maggie Walker clubs so that was one of the main reasons I volunteered there.” 

Malani expressed a similar sentiment when asked about his volunteer experience. Mainly volunteering by getting pied in the face several times, he said, “Because my teams were so amazing, it was a great experience, and we made a lot of money doing it. The people working booths make Fall Fest possible, and the fact that Maggie Walker has so many kids ready to eagerly work is super amazing.”

Another volunteer at Fall Fest, sophomore Aarav Lodha, spent his time at the booth for the Technology Student Association (TSA). Lodha believes that volunteer work allows for “students to understand the work people do for these clubs and to help their clubs.” He was assigned to sell popsicles and fruit punch at the booth. Similarly, freshman Rewa Totey helped volunteer at the Class of 2026 booth. “It was great because we were getting people to get to our booth,” said Totey. “I was happy that we were getting business and people were buying stuff.”

With this being the Class of 2026’s first time at Fall Fest, many freshmen were eager to share their thoughts. “It was cool seeing all the decorations set up,” said Rhaiyn Preston. Similarly, Reid Winters said remarked, “It was really incredible to see all the booths set up.” For may upperclassmen, Fall Fest may seem like just another event at school, but for the freshmen, it was an entirely new experience. “I just felt really excited because it was really fun and there was nothing like that at my old school,” said freshman Fielding Teague. 

Additionally, a key component of Fall Fest is the student performances. Not only did the musical ensembles at Maggie Walker display their skills, but several students showcased their talent through individual or small group performances. Many school music organizations such as Deadbeats, the Dance Team, and the Bhangra Team also participated. Sophomore Peize Wang, a member of the Advanced Band said, “I feel like performing at Fall Fest is always a monumental moment for the band. It shows what we are capable of achieving within a month of school and musical rehearsals.” He also explained that Fall Fest is the “kickoff” for many involved in performing arts, as it acts as a preview for the rest of the year.

When asked about what their favorite performance was, many students mentioned the Bhangra Team. “Bhangra for sure, you can’t go wrong with Bhangra,” remarked Winters. Sophomore Ira Prakash, one of the performers and a member of the Bhangra Team, said, “I joined Bhangra because I genuinely love dancing and I love the [culture] of it. I was happy that the MLWGS community was able to enjoy something we had put so much hard work towards.” She also mentioned that she enjoys the coalescence between Indian and American culture through the dance performances.

With dozens of booths and multiple performances showcasing the talents of numerous students throughout the day, Fall Fest proved to be a memorable experience for many.