Students dove headfirst into the season of fall with Fall Fest—except those participating in the pie-eating contest, who plunged headfirst into their plate of pie instead.
The Upper School lunch on November 8, 2024 marked the first-ever fall festival hosted by Kindness Crew, featuring an interactive tent that served apple cider, temporary tattoos, and lots of laughs.
The tent—a snug, ten-square-foot space—was the heart of the fest. One side housed a large box dispensing hot apple cider that caught several students by surprise with its heat. The tent’s other side was dedicated to the popular temporary tattoo station, where Kindness Crew members helped students adorn their faces and hands with colorful tattoo stickers and hand-painted designs. Pink and red hearts were especially popular, adding a playful touch to the event.
Country music by artists such as Zach Bryan and Hozier contributed to the fall atmosphere, feeling like a warm blanket and wrapping everyone in a cozy embrace. Kindness Crew Member Emma Banaie (‘26) shared, “I just hope everyone’s having a good time, and that it feels different from any other lunch period. We’re actually doing things, and it really feels like a ‘fall fest’!”
Next came the highly anticipated pie eating contest. Even before the start, a crowd had gathered around the long rectangular table, hyping up their friends in the contest. Participants included Dillon Spiro (‘25), Jake Kim (‘26), Giles Beamer (‘26), Riley Ross (‘26), Caden Yang (‘28), Imran Mahmud (‘26), Aaron Cheng (‘28), and Wyatt Stone (‘26). As soon as tantalizing pumpkin pies were set in front of them and the Kindness Crew shouted “Go!”, it was a messy fight for first place. Even the phones came out as people snapped photos and recorded videos, capturing the chaotic fun. The air was electric, with laughter and cheers ringing out, making it one of the loudest moments of the festival.
Ultimately, freshman Caden Yang came out triumphant, taking home a pumpkin pie with him — a fitting prize for his victory. “It was a great experience. I had my friends there. I told them to watch… Because I knew I was going to win,” said Caden after the competition.
The Fall Fest ended with two wheelbarrow contests, where teams of two got into position to wheel one person to the other end of the race on the quad. Some pairs struggled to find a steady balance, their wobbly wheelbarrows bringing laughs and encouragement from the crowd. Others took off with immediate coordination, sprinting around the cones and to the finish line with impressive speed. In the first race, Max Payne (‘25) and Rian Singh (‘25), who managed to set a near-perfect pace from the very start, wheeled their way to a victorious first place, receiving lots of cheers from the spectators. Similarly, Adam Lyn (‘25) and Pars Findikoglu (‘25) took home the second race of the day.
The exhilarating finishes to the competitions perfectly encapsulated the lively atmosphere of the event. It was exactly what Kindness Crew hoped to create for students. “The purpose was to bring small acts of joy into our community in the middle of the day because we know that school can be really stressful,” Grace Ebel (‘27), a member of Kindness Crew, noted. Emma agreed with her, stating, “It’s honestly really great because it’s Friday, and after a long week, I’m so happy to see an event we planned bringing everyone together for different activities like face painting and the pie-eating contest.”
That afternoon, when the clock hit 1:45 PM, students were reluctant to go to Period 1 class after such a special lunch period.
