Credit: Tina Su

Seniors Garrett Batt, Tom White, Emmanuel Nzaramba and Jack Calverley work together in preparation for the Spring Fling. “We decided to host this because March is kind of a slow month [in which] there’s not really that much happening, so I just thought it would be fun to put pep back into everyone so people could look forward to something this month,” senior Delcie Peter said.

On Friday, Mar. 22, the Wayland High School Connect Program will be hosting the first annual school-wide Spring Fling from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the WHS Commons. Connect is putting this event together in hopes of raising funds for the rest of the class’s trips during the 2023-2024 school year.

“One of the things that we emphasize in the Connect program is skill-building, [especially] real life skills,” Connect teacher Erin Lehmann said. “To have all of the field trips and experiences that we do costs a lot of money, [so] we tasked the class with coming up with an idea to put on an event for the WHS community that would bring people together, but also would give us an opportunity to work on project management skills.”

The planning of this event is similar to that of Connect’s annual Haunted House, especially in the skills that the students are meant to learn throughout the event planning process.

“[When we were planning the Haunted House], we each had groups, like marketing, tickets, decorations and setup, just like now,” senior Delcie Peter said. “The preparations are similar, the only thing that is different is the location and our donations.”

While planning for the Spring Fling, some Connect students went around the Wayland area to ask for donations from local businesses. The donations that the Connect program received resulted in numerous items for them to include in a raffle at the Spring Fling.

“A lot of people went to different businesses like Chick-fil-A to get donations for the draw that people can enter,” Peter said. “There’s gift cards for gas, DQ, Chick-fil-A gift baskets, Mel’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Wayland Town Pizza and Hot Table.”

According to Lehmann, the process of planning and managing an event this large has been somewhat tough, especially as an advisor who is overseeing this planning process rather than participating in it.

“Quite honestly, I feel anxious [watching the students plan] because I want this to be a successful event,” Lehmann said. “The teachers can only give advice about how to go about making this happen and then it’s up to the students to follow our advice or not. On the other hand, I’m excited, there’s so much potential here and if this comes together, I’ll feel so thrilled for everyone and I’ll be so excited that we started something that’s going to be a new, fun tradition at the high school.”

For Peter and some of her fellow students, planning the Spring Fling has been more of a learning experience rather than anything else.

“I just think communication is key,” Peter said. “To get everything done, you need a lot of people and everyone needs to know what they need to do.”

According to Connect students like senior Jahcari Williamson, this communication and teamwork is largely due to the “family” that some students believe the Connect program has become.

“I like that Connect doesn’t feel like an actual class and you’re hanging out with different people,” Williamson said. “I also like that with the Spring Fling, you are forced to work with people who have different work ethics, and I think it’s nice to have that challenge of trying to balance your work ethic with theirs and also making sure everything gets done.”

Each aspect of the Spring Fling is covered by a Connect student, whether it is marketing, selling tickets, decorations, activities or food. The puzzle pieces have now been pieced together to produce what the Connect Program hopes will be a successful event.

“From getting an ice cream truck that was supposed to be in storage until the end of April, to a light system that [senior Emmanuel Nzaramba] is going to set up and Williamson organizing transportation for METCO students, I’m seeing all of these examples of students stepping up, offering ideas and taking on leadership [roles] to try and make this a successful event,” Lehmann said. “I think that’s really great to see and I feel really proud of our class.”