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Hanging Halloween decorations from the ceiling, IBSO design committee member Riya Chauhan ’25 helps to set up for the Halloween Social. Taking place in the IB Colony, IBSO officers and members worked to transform the space for the social.
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Scooping popcorn into a bowl, Prince Kumar ’25 helps to run the popcorn bar. IB students were able to choose various toppings to augment the popcorn, allowing each student to create unique combinations to snack on.
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Finding new uses for the cotton cobweb decorations, seniors Anika Anumalla, Jennifer Rong, and Tharini Murugananth put together a makeshift costume for the costume contest. Part of the many events at the social, the winners of the costume contest received IB merch as a prize.
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Stirring together activator and glue, Sanjana Aslesh ’26 works on making slime. A slime making station was one of the activities that the IBSO officers planned for the social. “We started a couple weeks ago, and first we wanted to come up with fun ideas and things that would attract juniors and seniors so we could build a stronger community,” IBSO President of Events Deborah Gutierrez ’25 said. “So we thought about games, board games, card games, slime making, and then obviously the food to bring people together.”
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Walking through the E-Wing on Wednesday, Oct. 23, students were in for quite the spooky sight: orange and purple decor was draped all across the International Baccalaureate (IB) Colony, the space entirely transformed for Halloween festivities. Gravestones were scattered throughout, cobwebs stretched out in corners, and large bowls of candy lay on the tables, waiting for students to enjoy.
Taking place after school in the IB Colony, the International Baccalaureate Student Organization (IBSO) hosted a Halloween Social for students in the IB program. Drawing students in with the promise of food, games, and slime making, the IBSO officers had begun their planning for the event weeks in advance.
“We started [planning] a couple weeks ago, and first, we wanted to come up with fun ideas and things that would attract juniors and seniors so we could build a stronger community,” IBSO President of Events Deborah Gutierrez ‘25 said. “So we thought about games, slime making, and then obviously the food to bring people together.”
The social also included a costume contest, which encouraged many students to collaborate with their friends and put together a creative costume.
“[I dressed up as] a fairy, with [juniors] Anushka Gupta and Emma Rincon,” Isha Gokhale ‘26 said. “Emma had three [pairs of] fairy wings in her locker during dance [class], so [that inspired us to dress up].”
Serving as more than just a seasonal celebration, IBSO wanted their first community event of the year to help foster connections among students in the IB program.
“I think that IB is all about being a community, and having connections with all grades, so I think having this sort of event for everyone to get involved in is just a way for juniors to feel comfortable because they’re coming into IB for the first time,” IBSO Vice President Sanjana Alluri ‘25 said.
Known for its rigorous academics, the IB program often affords students little opportunity to socialize outside of schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Hosting social events provides students an avenue for forming new relationships within the program, and getting to know their peers outside of a strictly academic setting.
“I feel like people just have a lot of fun [at socials], and you get to do things in addition to all the academics of IB,” Alluri said. “Half of IB is the learner profile and the qualities [of an IB learner], so it’s important to be a good student and a good person.”
For juniors who are new to the program, the Halloween Social allowed them to befriend IB seniors and find their place within the IB learning community.
“I think the IB community, especially [at] Westwood, is so small that it really makes it easier to have a tight-knit community,” Alex Correia ‘26 said. “Along with that, I feel like it’s just really nice for the students. I think it creates kind of a kinship, especially with how hard IB is. Having people to struggle with, having people to have fun with, and having friends [in the IB community] makes it so much better.”
