Batten and Mansfield House joined together to grace Macleans College students with yet another amazing carnival on Thursday, the 20th of June. The bustling atmosphere was filled with a sign of enthusiasm and anticipation following the nerve-wracking milestone week earlier in the month.
Students were able to fully immerse themselves in the spirit of fundraising through manning the food stalls, performances and much more. Attendees were met with food and drinks that ranged from sizzling hot dogs in food trucks to crepes, the iconic bubble tea, KFC, Krispy Kreme and even a dog photo booth.
Form classes joined together to bring together this event.
Behind the mouth-watering food and effervescent atmosphere were months and months of planning by the service captains, house executives and peer support.
Those involved in the planning and logistics behind the event were asked about the preparations and what made it such a special experience.
“I do know that the service captains have been planning since the beginning of the term. [We went through eight weeks] of deciding what we would sell, the date of carnival, decorations and the pricing of the items that we sold on the day. I was very impressed and proud of everyone willing to help out on the day. Many students from each form class were eager to help out with stalls. Despite the hectic and busy atmosphere of [the] carnival, the students did a great job at handling pressure from the loud, hungry students and they were responsible as they handled the money that they were entrusted with. The choc-drop and dog photo booth in Mansfield and the performances in Batten made the day extra special. This definitely [lifted] up the vibe. It is always nice to have a break from the normal school routine and have something that helps houses raise money for charities and something that also creates variety and excitement in our week.”
Mansfield house captain Zoey Milne speaks on the planning of the carnival, her impressions and reflections on her last BATMAN carnival.
“Carnivals at Macleans are always a special time for students on both sides of the stalls. Organising the carnival fosters bonds between students through this unique activity, bringing the whanau house closer together as a whole; passionately working with fellow students in the BATMAN Carnival brings out Mansfield’s purple pride excellently. The organisation of the carnival itself was both challenging as well as rewarding, especially when you overcome the challenges. Organising the carnival involved group discussions with all sorts of people as well as researching costs and goods to sell. After all the hard work in planning and setting up the carnival, it all comes together when the doors swing open to the surging crowd filling the commons with a festive buzz.”
Matt Wang, form class representative and peer support member comment on the logistics of organising a stall.
“It was a great experience even though the boba arrived late. We still sold out!”
Alice Zhang, form class representative comments on the boba.
As always, the collaboration between both houses went exceptionally well and provided Macleans College students with an unforgettable experience. All funds raised from the BATMAN carnival will go towards their respective charities: Guide Dogs for the Blind and the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust.
25th of July, 2024
Written by Amelia Hu, edited by Ally Chu
Photos courtesy of Emma Li and Joseph Zhang
