At the end of the year, after all IB students are done with their IB tests, IB Social Organization celebrates the event called Tapas and Tea. Named after the Austin tradition of Tapas and Tequila, Tapas and Tea is a place for IB students to bring food and reminisce about the four years of IB school together. This IB senior potluck also included the IBSO Junior Officers and IB teachers.
The event began at 3 p.m. on May 24 in the Great Room. Students came with food related to their culture that they made or bought at the store. After everyone had taken their first serving of food and was seated, the first powerpoint presentation began. This powerpoint had the IB students’ baby photos and senior photos. The students provided a quote that described themselves or reflected their personality. The IB community gave each other superlatives that were both funny and genuine.
“The superlatives were really funny,” Sara Dhuka ‘15 said. “My favorite was Calvin’s because it said that he was most likely to become a rapper even though he doesn’t like rap.”
Following the powerpoint, a slideshow of pictures traveling through the four years of the IB experience aroused laughter and amusement from the students reflecting on the memories. Some photos came from the first IB events from freshman year while others were more recent. Many students provided hilarious and awkward photos of themselves and each other to lighten the melancholy mood of goodbye.
The tears began to flow as students went up individually to give speeches and shoutouts. It soon became evident how emotional it was to express how connected the IB students were. They realized that the IB program had turned 63 students into a family. Their speeches talked about how accepting the IB community was, and despite the struggles of IB school work, they would do it again.
“The speeches were very heartwarming,” David Dam ‘15 said. “Everyone was saying good-bye since we might not see each other after the school year ends. It was sad but also nice at the same time.”
Overall, Tapas and Tea was a melancholy experience for both the students and teachers. It was a sad good-bye but also focussed on the good-times. The tears were out of both joy and sadness.
Contributions by Emily Souyadalay