by Johan Hanson, class of 2019

If you’ve seen the 90s sitcom Seinfeld, you are probably familiar with Festivus. For those who don’t know, Festivus is a non-religious holiday that was created to avoid the pressures and commercialization of the holiday season. Adopted from Seinfeld, Festivus has become an annual event celebrated by the adolescent students at Great River.

It traditionally involves a slew of different activities but at the core of this GRS tradition is a potluck and an airing of grievances.

This year’s celebration also includes an improv off, a hackey sack off, and a faculty and student karaoke. The event is being planned by student leadership in coordination with school leadership.

Students will be asked to contribute to the communal potluck! In the morning, between 8:00 and 8:30, students can drop off their contributions to the Festivus potluck in the upper commons (room #277). We will have access to a refrigerator for storing food, but not a freezer. Also, since we do not have access to ovens, dishes that need to be kept warm should be brought in a crock pot or other electronic food warming device. The potluck assignments by advisory are as follows:

Abby – Main Dishes
Anni – Main Dishes
Sheila – Beverages
Zack – Allergen conducive alternatives (vegan, gluten free, peanut free)
Caroline – Appetizers
Lindsey – Desserts
Mike – Chips and Dip
Sarah G – Fruit
Ocean – Vegetables

Unfortunately, due to our polar-vortex mini winter break, Festivus needs to be rescheduled! (Administrative note: likely for February 28th, 2019) The student leadership team has been working hard to make this celebration happen, and their determination and planning will indeed be rewarded. Look for future communications from the school for more details.