While walking through George Washington Hall on any given Wednesday afternoon, you’ll most likely see a group of students staring at the latest edition of the Weekender. With classes, sports and extracurricular activities to keep them busy during the week, students look forward to weekends filled with relaxation, socializing and student activities. Every weekend brings a variety of events ranging from Reggae night to Blue and Silver. But who comes up with these different events and plans out the long awaited weekends? That would be the Student Activities Board. “[SAB] started four years ago,” says Cynthia Efinger, Director of Student Activities. “Since then we’ve evolved into different areas including on-campus and dance events. We even have photographers now.” Composed of elected students, the board meets every Monday night at 5:30. For 90 minutes, they discuss the upcoming weekends’ events and plan new events. At that time, students discuss their ideas for future performers and acts, ranging from Steve the Regurgitator to sky diving lessons. Efinger explained that she must consider a variety of concerns including safety and the school’s liability when planning weekend activities, and, therefore, cannot make all of the ideas happen. When deciding what events come to Andover, Efinger and SAB put in a lot of time and work, drawing on resources that other high schools and colleges use as well. Twice a year, Efinger attends conferences that provide ideas for on–campus activities. Since these conferences are directed towards colleges, Efinger must sift through the events and eliminate the ones not appropriate for high school students. In addition to considering performers suggested at these conferences, board members present a variety of suggestions for weekend events. This upcoming weekend, the three main events are the Lego Competition, Laser Tag and the Green Film Festival. Beginning only four years ago, the Lego Competition is a favorite of Efinger. This year, there will also a Rubix Cube competition and a cup stacking contest. While Laser Tag is a returning event, it remains extremely popular. In response to previous years’ huge turnout, the board has decided to have a movie playing in UnCommons to entertain those waiting to play. Every spring, SAB turns over and new applications are accepted. The previous board and Efinger look for students who are lively, involved and have plenty of school spirit. The board receives between 50 and 80 applications a year, higher than most clubs. This year, students will remember acts like hypnotist Steve Taubman and poet Mike McGee. However, if you’ve been wondering how these performers end up performing on our welcoming campus, now you know. And if you have a better idea, apply for SAB. Please.
