As the undeniable air of excitement flowed through the school in anticipation of Thanksgiving Break, hundreds of International Baccalaureate (IB) and Pre-IB students flocked to the cafeteria to come together and celebrate the upcoming week of rest and relaxation. On Friday, Nov. 22,  IB students gathered for the program’s annual Grateful Gathering celebration. A time-honored tradition, the event involves a myriad of different activities for students to participate in, and culminates in a potluck dinner in the cafeteria. 

Planned by the IB Student Association (IBSO), the event involved a lot of coordination to pull off. From figuring out scheduling to getting enough food, the officer team had to work together to make sure everything ran smoothly. 

“The planning process was a little all over the place because initially we planned for the IB Parent Association to provide all the food and then it turned out they could only provide pizza,” IBSO Officer Sophia Sartor ‘25 said. “So we kind of had to do a lot of gathering of food, [but] we were able to come together at the last minute and be able to turn it around so we have all the food that we do. So that was probably the most stressful part, but overall, planning the activities and the time was pretty straightforward.”

To keep everyone engaged and build community, there were various activities that students could participate in. From ultimate frisbee and soccer at the Warrior Bowl to crafts and board games in the cafeteria, there was something for everyone to enjoy. 

“My favorite part has probably been going outside and hanging out with all of my friends,” Farzana Khan ‘26 said. “There are so many things to do out there, which is pretty fun, and the weather is great.”

Grateful Gathering is also one of the few IB events that include not just IB Diploma Program students, but also the Pre-IB underclassmen. For those in the Pre-IB program, events like Grateful Gathering serve as one of their first exposures to the IB community. 

“I think it’s important for IB to hold these events so IB students can connect with each other,” Pre-IB student Anirudha Yadav ‘27 said. 

After a few hours of activities, everyone gathered in the cafeteria for a potluck-style dinner, where students sat and enjoyed each other’s company during the meal. Coinciding with the jam-packed and oftentimes stress-inducing workload of November, Grateful Gathering provided IB students with the opportunity to unwind for a few hours, and celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving Break.

“I think it’s important because a lot of the IB experience is deadlines and stress,” Sartor said. “To be able to take a break from that and come together as a community to talk, and laugh, and connect across grades is really nice.”