The annual Class Night event grows more creative, innovative, and exciting with each year. This year’s theme, “The Friends We Make Along the Way,” immaculately showcased the talents and individuality of students, as each grade went about bringing its performances to fruition in a unique way. In this Q&A, Class Night’s Overall and Art Chairpeople speak on their experiences leading their respective grades:
Freshmen
Q: What motivated you to be a chairperson for your grade?
A: Something that really motivated me to become chair is I love to create new things and watch things come to life. – Maya Roditi, freshman class chairperson
A: Being a chair for my grade was motivated by my love for dance and the opportunity to collaborate with one of my dearest friends. – Skylar Wolkoff, freshman class chairperson
Q: What was an obstacle you faced? How did you overcome it?
A: One obstacle I faced was making sure everything was coming along in such a short amount of time. I overcame this problem by making sure I got all things in by due dates and making sure I was ready for things when they were due. – Roditi
A: We encountered the obstacle of ensuring all our classmates felt at ease with the choreography we created. To overcome this, we adjusted some formations and actively sought feedback from everyone involved. This approach allowed us to make necessary changes and foster a more inclusive environment. – Wolkoff
Q: Favorite memory from preparations leading to the main show?
A: My favorite memory from Class Night was dance practices. They were sometimes stressful but always something I looked forward to! – Roditi
A: My favorite memory from the preparations has to be the night Maya and I spent hours perfecting the dances. That dedication and teamwork really [embodied] the spirit of what we were trying to achieve. It was a bonding experience that I will always cherish. – Wolkoff
Q: What motivated you to be an art chairperson for your grade?
A: What motivated me to run for Art Chair was that although I am not taking an art class right now, I did last year, and I love art. I enjoy doing it when I have free time. I also ran with one of my close friends, Valentina. I thought this would be a fun opportunity to do what I love along with the company of my friends. – Olivia Ramirez, freshman class art chairperson
A: I’m artistic and have been told so by multiple teachers. – Valentina Esposito, freshman class art chairperson
Q: What inspired the usage of the props and art your grade created?
A: While making the props and scenery for the skit, we asked the overall chairs what sets would fit into the skit best and made them. We made three sets of Joker’s lair and two for the Batcave. For the banner, we tried to incorporate characters who had a significant role in the skit. We included Batman, Alfred, Robin, the goons, Joker, and Harley Quinn. Then, in the middle, we included the bat signal, which was made purple and green to emphasize Joker. The box was inspired by the city of Gotham, which is where the movie takes place. We made the city and had the bat signal move back and forth in the sky. – Ramirez
A: The Batman movie [was our main concentration]. – Esposito
Q: Favorite memory from preparations leading to the main show?
A: One of my favorite memories leading up to the big show was sleeping at my friend’s house the night before Deco Day to get as much work done as possible. A big group of my friends slept over, and we stayed up extremely late working on the banner and sets the whole night. We had so much fun staying up, but we were very productive, and we got a lot of work done. – Ramirez
A: Listening to music and painting with my friends [during Deco Day]. – Esposito
Sophomores
Q: What motivated you to be a chairperson for your grade?
A: As our four years of high school quickly pass by, [I’m motivated] to unite [with] as many of my fellow peers as possible who are interested in having a great time and showcasing our talents. [I aimed] to put on a great show while cherishing every moment of the experience.” – Dani Zhanay, sophomore class chairperson
Q: What was an obstacle you faced? How did you overcome it?
A: As Class Chair, numerous obstacles [arose] due to the [limited] time and [heavy] workload assigned [for] projects…It is essential to understand that it’s impossible to please everyone. Overall, clear communication with all involved parties is crucial. Navigating these challenges demands strong communication skills, empathy, flexibility, and a dedication to cultivating a positive and supportive environment for every one of my fellow peers who are participating.” – Zhanay
Q: Favorite memory from preparations leading to the main show?
A: I have countless, wonderful memories from our preparation leading up to the main show such as bonding, laughing, and collaborating with my peers to ensure the show’s success. Witnessing breakthroughs, like mastering a challenging dance sequence, or delivering a powerful monologue [were] unforgettable moments of triumph and growth. The shared laughter and inside jokes that develop[ed] during rehearsals create[d] a sense of family and help[ed] to relieve the stress of preparing for the big show. Experiencing the exhilarating rush of adrenaline and excitement during dress rehearsals, tech rehearsals, and performances leaves memories of the energy and intensity that’s contagious. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside many talented peers who were instrumental in our success. Effort and hard work always shine through, and I am immensely proud of us, the sophomores! – Zhanay
Q: What motivated you to be an art chairperson for your grade?
A: [Payton and I] have been friends since we were little, and we always talked about being art chairs together. I was so glad once I found out we were doing it together, [knowing that we would fulfill those dreams]. – Ella Carroll, sophomore class art chairperson
A: Having older siblings, I used to love coming and watching their Class Night performances and couldn’t wait until I was in high school so I could do Class Night. I wanted to be Art Chair because of my love of art and Class Night. – Payton Stalter, sophomore class art chairperson
Q: What inspired the usage of the props and art your grade created?
A: The props and art we created were mainly inspired by the movie. We wanted to ensure that it flowed, while also people being able to look at it and say, ‘I remember that when I watched the movie.’ Some of our props and scenery weren’t exactly [from] scenes from the movie, but were still heavily inspired by it. – Carroll
A: Our art and props were heavily inspired by our movie theme, and used lots of color to give it that warm childish feeling you get watching the film. – Stalter
Q: Favorite memory from preparations leading to the main show?
A: I would say that my favorite memory was seeing the banner being put on the stage at the end of Deco Day. It was amazing to see all of our hard work turn out so well and reflect back on all of the time we spent working on it! – Carroll
A: My favorite memory from preparations for the show was painting people’s feet to walk across the banner on Deco Day. – Stalter
Juniors
Q: What motivated you to be a chairperson for your grade?
A: I wanted to be head chairperson for the grade starting in my sophomore year because I thought that the position would be a good opportunity to express myself creatively while also helping my grade. This year, I thought that the role would be even more enjoyable since I had experience. – Liam Mylan, junior class chairperson
A: Freshman year, my sister motivated and inspired me to become chair as she was chair her junior and senior year for her grade. Her hard work made me want to take on the role as chair for my grade. I was so thankful to have someone to look up to as well as help and teach me. – Peyton Leighley, junior class chairperson
Q: What was an obstacle you faced?
A: One obstacle that [Peyton and I] endured was probably trying to please everyone in the grade. Everyone has differing views and things that they want to add, so making decisions was super hard, as we had to consider the whole grade’s opinion. – Mylan
A: I’m sure all grades go through the obstacles of bringing everyone together. Teaching dances to big groups can be hard, but as time went on, it got easier, and thankfully, we were very successful! As a competitive grade, we all wanted to win and we overcame this obstacle by remembering how we wanted to look amazing at the main show. – Leighley
Q: What was your initial reaction to the grade’s win?
A: Winning felt almost unreal. After that, I was extremely proud and happy for myself, Peyton, and the entire grade. I knew that we pushed ourselves to be great and that the ending product was something that led us to victory. – Mylan
A: My initial reaction was pure happiness. I was so excited and proud. I can’t even describe the emotions I was feeling. It was a huge relief and I was so happy. Everyone enjoyed the moment together and it will be something I’ll always remember. It was all worth everything! – Leighley
Q: Favorite memory from preparations leading to the main show?
A: My favorite memory was Deco Day because all of the art came together in one day, and we could see that all the effort that went into it turned out to be something great. – Mylan
A: All three weeks of Class Night prep is a memory. I love how my grade comes together, and we all work hard to get the amazing results for the main show. It’s truly fascinating to see how well everything and everyone comes together, and then the main show ties it off. – Leighley
Q: What motivated you to be an art chairperson for your grade?
A: I was motivated to run for Art Chair since I loved being a part of Class Night for the past two years. I felt I could make my biggest contribution working on art for my grade. With the amount of time spent on art, you can’t help but bond with the people around you. Telling stories while we work, and seeing the amazing things produced is an exciting feeling. Though it was very stressful at times, I loved being a piece of it all, and I can’t wait to see what we accomplish next year! – Valerie Tuosto, junior class art chairperson
A: I love bringing my ideas to life; it’s such an amazing experience! Most importantly, I wanted to make sure our grade was represented the best that we could be with artwork and scenery. – Rachel Stein, junior class art chairperson
Q: What inspired the usage of the props and art your grade created?
A: It was tough to choose a theme at first, but once the advisors and chairs were set on Star Wars, the ideas just started flowing. There was so much we wanted to do in order to live up to our banner from last year, while also improving on other aspects like box and scenery. Though small, we had an amazing group of artists working this year which helped us produce our winning artwork. – Tuosto
A: We had to think outside the box (no pun intended), especially for our props and scenery. R2-D2’s costume was one of my favorites. Instead of just buying a costume, we thought it would be unique to make it on our own. We were given a cardboard box and a plastic bowl; we painted it to make it look like R2-D2, and I think it turned out pretty amazing! Liam Mylan also came up with the idea of making DIY scenery boards. For example, during our scene in the Death Star, Liam was able to create boards to go along with our scenery boxes which helped us “enlarge” the picture of it all. In my opinion, it was super creative. However, those prop ideas were just two out of the many that our team came up with! For our banner, we came up with an interesting composition, which depicted the characters on a larger scale. The overall feel and colors of Star Wars heavily inspired our color palette for the box and banner. I’m really happy with the outcome of all of our creative props/artwork this year! – Stein
Q: Favorite memory from preparations leading to the main show?
A: My favorite memories were the silly moments during which you forget about the stress. Whether it be laughing at some questionable art work or contemplating new ideas, Class Night is time you spend with people you may not interact with on a regular basis. During those few weeks, friend groups blended and created a new team in which everyone shares the desire to win. – Tuosto
A: My favorite memory while preparing for the big show was working together with so many talented artists, especially on Deco Day, where we are working for eight hours in the gym doing our finishing touches on everything. I loved how everyone was such a big help during this process – different perspectives and different ideas, all coming along together to create a winning art category! Team work definitely makes the dream work! – Stein
Seniors
Q: What motivated you to be a chairperson for your grade?
A: After last year’s defeat, I knew that I had to come back this year and change up a lot. Even though we lost last year, it was a learning experience that taught me how Class Night really worked, and so I thought with the knowledge I gained last year paired with my determination to win this year, we could really make something special happen. Despite our loss, I still believe we put on an amazing show! – Zachary Buxton, senior class chairperson
Q: What was an obstacle you faced? How did you overcome it?
A: There were a few obstacles this year that we all worked hard to overcome, the biggest of these being the writing of the script. We knew coming from last year that major changes had to be made in terms of storytelling, comedy, and emotion. This year, myself, Joaquin Vegara, and Alayna Matern wrote the script to be funny, compelling, emotional, and most of all, a perfect send off to the graduating senior class. – Buxton
Q: Favorite memory from preparations leading to the main show?
A: My favorite memory from this year was seeing the passion from everyone in the senior class. In previous years, it has been a struggle for us to get kids involved in Class Night and truly get excited for it. This year, everyone was very invested in the skit, dances, art, and sports. It was beautiful to see how everyone came together and supported each other, ultimately making my job a lot easier. – Buxton
