Students played spikeball and had ice cream during the Block Party.
Students gathered at Gelb Science Center Lawn this past Saturday to enjoy food, games, and performances at the Community and Multicultural Development (CaMD) Block Party. Revived from four years prior, the event was brought back by the CaMD board, whose members fondly remembered its past success.
Even though the event was initiated by students, it was organized with the support of Charlotte Esty, Coordinator of CaMD. She shared hopes that the event would raise awareness of CaMD and its role as an inclusive and joyful community space on campus. Esty encouraged students to become more involved with the CaMD office.
“We always wanted to end the year with something fun and do something that really puts CaMD on the map as a community space. A lot of times people think CaMD is only for certain people and we only do certain programming, like [Martin Luther King] Day, when [actually] we do a lot of things. We want to make sure people know how to engage with us, who we are, [and] that we’re a space that cultivates joy. That’s one of the reasons that we want to do this event, just to meet people and bring people in,” said Esty.
The Block Party featured student performances, ranging from singing to dancing. Charlize Sow ’28, who performed in two dance pieces at the event, mentioned that the support from students and faculty was what made the event valuable. She highlighted the atmosphere of the CaMD Block Party, emphasizing its role in demonstrating the mission and purpose of CaMD itself.
“When I was performing on stage, I could feel a sense of support not only from my friends in the audience, but also from students in general, even students that I didn’t know. [They were] cheering us on and it made me feel supported and encouraged,” said Sow.
She continued, “That was a time when I felt very supported and celebrated in all of my endeavors, not just academically but also outside of academics. I felt very supported. That underscores the spirit of CaMD, and how everybody that’s a part of the CaMD community makes you feel valued and supported on campus.”
Maddie Redmond ’25, CaMD board member, was involved with coordinating the event. Similarly to Dean Esty, Redmond said that a main goal of the Block Party was to bring the community together, highlighting its success through student attendance.
“There was a really good turnout. There were different fluctuations of people throughout the night, which was actually very effective because there were some people who wanted to play the games more, and people who wanted to see more of the performances. Having the food trucks, people were definitely getting enough food and having fun with each other. I definitely think it was a large success, and I hope they’ll continue to do it even years after,” said Redmond.
In addition to the performances, the block party demonstrated diversity in the form of assorted food offerings. Konnor Fortini ’28 was one attendee who recalled this multicultural aspect of the event. He also appreciated how it allowed him to establish new relationships, even late in the school year, and expressed wishes for the return of the Block Party next year.
“With food of different cultures, for example, Thai tea and mango sticky rice and empanadas, showed us that each culture is valuable. [It] created connections across different groups across the community,” said Fortini. “Even while we are in Spring Term, there’s still always the opportunity to meet new people across all classes in all groups, and I’m very thankful for the CaMD community for putting this on,” said Fortini. He added, “These events establish a multicultural sense of connection, so I would love to see these events in the future.”
Adrian Venzon, teaching fellow in English and CaMD, was also involved with planning the block party. Venzon considered this event to be a culmination of the work that CaMD organizations have been doing throughout the school year. The event also served as a farewell for the CaMD Seniors, all who have put in a lot of work towards CaMD throughout their time at Andover.
“The block party is a way for us to collaborate and celebrate the amazing work that these clubs have been doing all year, and also to showcase some of the amazing talent that we have in those clubs. In the spring, it feels particularly important to celebrate the kind of community that we’ve built over the course of the year. It’s also a special way for us to have almost a going away [or] farewell party for our CaMD Seniors,” said Venzon.
