Alumni Night brings together ten years of graduates

Students’ cheers and shouts filled the gym and echoed throughout the school as the alumni celebrated their return with a game of basketball. Popcorn and bubble teas were being sold near the bleachers and the cheer of the holiday season filled the air. Varsity boys and girls played with the alumni and alumnae with a friendly feeling of competitiveness between them. The age-old tradition of alumni night was loved by all of the middle-high school students, who attended the event excited to see the results of the games. 

The event started at 4:30, with a tough game between the varsity girls and the alumnae, with coaches on either side cheering and shouting for the girls. The game was followed by a spectacular and well-choreographed dance sequence by the dance team as well as a dance-off between Coach Martinez and Coach McCann. They impressed and entertained the students with their moves and absurd wigs. Then Coach Bates shared a few words about our alumni and our graduating students as he praised our students for their impressive work on the basketball team. The next game started among the varsity boys and the alumnus, who play a nail-biting and restless game with students rooting for both sides. The alumni boys scraped out a close win in overtime.

“The purpose of this event was to create an event for the alumni to come back to and for the kids to see their friends, it just so happens that this falls during the basketball season,” said Coach Bates, the Activities Director. He also said that the event was beneficial to the varsity basketball teams by providing them with practice for games, especially since many other schools went on winter break during that time. This year, the alumni night was particularly special because there were both recent and relatively much older graduates, ranging from those from 2007 to 2017. Moreover, Coach Bates shared that the Athletic committee is planning to plan a mixer for the alumni before the alumni night in order for our graduates to meet with other students and see all of their old teachers.

This night gave a great opportunity for both current students and alumni to bond and have fun together, both by watching and playing the basketball games together. For some alumni, this was a time to share their college lives not just with their peers but the current SMIC students. “It was great to see some familiar faces again and I loved being able to play with my sister,” said Angela Tan(10A) who played on Coach Bates’ team.

Featured Image- Victoria Liu breaks free for a lay-up Photo Courtesy of Anouckjin Jayasuryan