Every year in preparation for the upcoming prom, the junior class hosts a major fundraiser to raise money for the costly event. This year, however, the class of 2018 decided to add their own unique twist to the traditional Holiday Affair and selected a rustic, Texan theme, Just Chillin’. In the past years, the Juniors catered pasta and other formal foods from restaurants to appeal to the older individuals. The class of 2018, on the other hand, chose to take on a new idea that was completely out of the box; instead of catering and possibly having unwanted leftovers, they asked parents and students to donate pots of chili, hence the name, Just Chillin’. To encourage students and parents to bring in chili, incentives were offered for the best chilis within the five designated types of chili: white, vegetarian, mild, spicy, and exotic. The best overall chili chef would be awarded a one-of-a-kind trophy, garnished with a golden ladle and beans.

    “When I first heard chili, I was surprised. I had never heard of an idea like that,” Rohith Mandavilli ‘18 said. “However, I grew quite fond of [the idea] and recognized that it was genius when I realized how many people liked chili and how cheap the event would be.”

   In addition to selling Just Chillin’ tickets during the lunches, Student Council (StuCo) members actively worked with one another to prepare for the annual ticket blitz. The ticket blitz, which took place in five different locations, sent out students into neighborhoods to provide another option for parents to get the tickets for their family or child. Each ticket was $5, significantly lower than that of the past years.

    “The ticket blitz allowed students to pair up and support each other while selling tickets to a community event,” Sophia Goff ‘20 said. “We gained insight on how to communicate with a variety of different people as well as exposure to rejection and how to react in a respectful manner.”

    Despite the multitude of changes in this year’s fundraiser, several things at the chili cookoff remained the same. The live entertainment, consisting of students, teachers, and outside performers, such as the Laurel Mountain Choir and the Love of China, provided an enjoyable spectacle for people to watch while eating. The live auction that included many highly valued and desirable items began towards the middle of the event, sparking a lively interaction between the bidders. A silent auction held in the center of the cafeteria was open for all throughout the entire evening, available for even the latest stragglers searching for an item that could serve as the perfect Christmas gift.

 “The whole event turned out way better than we expected; both the silent and live auction were very successful,” Krithika Shamanna ‘18 said. “Although getting everything together was a struggle at times, I was so proud to be part of such a great team and help make this happen.”

    At the live auction, students also volunteered to offer services that were closely tied to their hobbies or special talents. These “donations” appeared to actively involve the bidders the most during the event, and a number of bids were placed on the students.

   “I was rather nervous about getting auctioned off since I wasn’t sure how much our group was going to make. I even told Faith [Song ‘18] to lower our starting bid to $20,” Janice Oh ‘19 said. “But, we got auctioned off for $80, which made me very surprised, so now, I’m very excited to play orchestra music for our bidder.”

   Just Chillin’ appeared to be an overall success. Although the junior class StuCo officers were strained to the max, they were pleased with the end result. They raised about $8,000, far more than last year, and the money will be contributed to prom in the spring.

   “This event was completely different compared to the other years because everything we made was pure profit, drawing help and volunteers to make food from the community,” Mandavilli said. “I feel this year’s theme was more successful mainly because it was something new. Overall, I believe that this theme will prevail for long, as many of the others students enjoyed the set up and the general vibe of the event.”