Out of This World SA Banquet at MPA

This year, I knew that the Student Association Banquet would be out of this world. As I stepped back to look at what we achieved, I awed at how well everything had come together. As I walked through the curtain door of a giant rocket ship cutout, I was met with a dark tunnel, with black lights bouncing off of a hundred neon stars hanging from its roof. The subtle lights, stars, and swirls in the tunnel led me to a second black curtain, where I walked into the huge dining area. Bright large stars and planets hung from the ceiling, as everyone laughed and just enjoyed spending time together. I had never dreamed that our idea for the Neon Galaxy Banquet would go this well. It is my first year as an SA member, and I was nervous as to how things would turn out, and if the students would enjoy our hard work. However, to our delight, everyone seemed to enjoy all we had planned.

A favorite for many was the food we had prepared, or rather, had them prepare. When everyone sat down at their tables, they filled out an order form for the sauce and toppings they wanted on their own personal pizzas. Once the orders were in, tables were dismissed to head over to the cafeteria, and create their pizzas themselves. “I liked the idea of customizing your own pizza, and I thought that was pretty cool,” Alex Boughman, ‘24, commented. These were no ordinary pizzas either. The students got to pick from tons of topping choices. Along with the pizzas were salad and garlic knots for the appetizer, galaxy cupcakes for dessert, and a super cool lemonade drink that changed colors when it was poured. Everyone really liked the food, because not only was there something for everyone, but there was a unique experience to go with it as well.

Another favorite part of the banquet was the cardboard astronaut contest. Each table was given various supplies and fifteen minutes to build a cardboard spacesuit onto one of their friends. This activity made the banquet more enjoyable for lots of students. “It was more interactive than the other banquets and I liked that. We loved decorating our little friend into an astronaut,” Becky Amann, ‘22, mentioned. Once the time was up, all of the astronauts went back into the tunnel, so that they could come out one by one to show off their suits. Katie James (‘24), one of the astronaut models stated that “it looked like a sci-fi convention inside the tunnel because everyone was dressed up.” As each astronaut walked out, you could clearly see the creativity and uniqueness of each constructed suit. It was a cool activity for the banquet that made a lot of people laugh and just enjoy spending time together.

My favorite part of the banquet had to have been the decorations. Having the lights off, and the black lights on made everything look super cool. Huge blow up stars and planets hung from the gym ceiling, and the stars flashed different colors. Each table was covered in a black tablecloth, with beautiful light up centerpieces, and space themed plates, napkins, and utensils. Each student even got to keep a drinking glass that had the banquet year and name on it. The tunnel was definitely my favorite part. It felt as though I was stepping into another world, and it was an awesome place for taking pictures. “I really loved all the decorations! It didn’t even feel like the gym anymore,” Nicole Rivera, ‘23, excitedly stated. “Looking at the gym the next day confused me because it really did look like a totally different place than the night before.”

The SA Banquet was definitely one of my favorite nights of the year. Even though Covid-19 has been restricting us in some of the activities that we hold here on campus, we were able to make a super fun night for our peers. Although planning this banquet with my fellow members was stressful, it was definitely worth it in the end. Like my brother told me a few days later, “It was out of this world”.

- Emma Boughman, '22

For more stories about Mount Pisgah Academy, check out our Skyliner Newsletter published on our website at www.pisgah.us/skyliner