A long line emerged from the Warrior Bowl as students waited to purchase tickets to attend Warrior Fest on Friday, April 26. Students purchased tickets at the entrance and then could go inside to enjoy the festivities, which included club booths with games and prizes, a dunk tank, a petting zoo, and a field full of outdoor games, like soccer and badminton to play.

“I loved volunteering for the Thirst Project and Warrior Fest because it’s a lot of fun and I love to help out at events like this,” Sophia Bombach ‘21 said. “This is a great opportunity to build the well and help the community.”

Warrior Fest is a fundraiser event organized by the National Honor Society (NHS), held annually for the Thirst Project to raise funds to build  wells in Africa. Before the festival, students donated money in their sixth block classes in an effort to raise these funds and win the school-wide competition for a pizza or ice cream party.

“I think it’s necessary that we do something like this for a good cause,” Sophia Li ‘19 said. “It’s just a great idea that we turned into something more than just school-wide, something so big. Our NFHS booth seemed pretty popular because it was free and overall, I think that the whole festival was a success.”

At the festival, students could visit multiple booths along the side of the track. Some clubs sold food and items, while others had free or paid games, in which students could earn prizes. Students’ siblings, families, and students from other schools could also attend the festival to enjoy the activities. On the field, there was a myriad of outdoor games to play including giant jenga and donut holes.

“I think it’s really cool that we have something like this because everyone gets together and were able to showcase their clubs on the side and the games in the middle,” Linsy Stephen ‘22 said. “It’s pretty cool to raise money for a good cause and having people here while having fun.”

There was also a dunk tank located close to the entrance, in which Principal Mr. Mario Acosta and other teachers got dunked multiple times. People who bought the advanced $10 ticket received a couple free dunks and also free admission into the petting zoo, which was filled with bunnies, goats, and even chickens.

“It’s just a really nice atmosphere here. Everyone’s happy, collaborating, and having a lot of fun out here, so I really like that about Warrior Fest,” Diya Rajon ‘22 said. “I thought that Warrior Fest would be just selling things for fundraising, but it’s so much more than that. There are games, people are engaging in fun activities, and since Westwood is such a studious school, it’s a nice time to be free and also raise money for such a good cause.”

During the festival, a talent show and raffle drawing were held. The talent show featured several students, including band students, solo musicians, KPop Club, Chinese yoyo club, and UkeleYay club At the very end of the festival, students participated in a massive kahoot game, in which if they won, they would win a free t-shirt.

“I think it’s really cool and a great way to be an activist for the Thirst Project as a student,” Andrew Crawford ‘20 said. “I love being able to have an impact and I’m so glad that I got to volunteer. I’ve been talking to my friends about it for so long and I was super excited, so I’m glad that I got to come out and have fun.”