Christmas Banquet

This year's middle school Christmas Banquet was quite impressive, and probably impossible to top. This could be due to the location, a swanky hotel called the Crowne Plaza, or maybe it's because the hotel's manager has two kids in SYIS' middle school. Regardless, it was a fun night for the students, as well as the teachers. I think everyone was shocked by the splendor that awaited us. First of all, the Christmas tree lighting ceremony was going on in the lobby downstairs--carols could be heard from the balcony where we were being served appetizers, and cocktails (sparkling apple cider in champagne glasses). The students looked so cute! The guys were dressed up in suits and ties, while the girls were wearing dresses with fancy Asian accessories and clutches. It was funny to see some of the 6th grade girls wearing mascara and lip gloss. While we were still enjoying our "cocktails", the students had an opportunity to get their pictures taken--at the end of the banquet, the hotel staff gave us printed copies of all the pictures they took at the beginning. What a sweet idea!

Because Adam is the sponsor for Student Council this year, he had a front row seat of all the planning that went into this event. He helped his 6th, 7th, and 8th grade representatives meet with the hotel manager and staff to set up the details of their banquet. He sent out the invitations, permission slips, and made the seating chart. He did a good job promoting the event, while allowing the StuCo kids feel like they had full control of the event. It was precious to watch the StuCo kids manage the banquet--the staff went to the kids if they had questions or instructions to pass on--they felt very important and responsible! They looked so grown up, giving announcements, and discussing behind-the-scene details with the staff--decked out in their dry-cleaned suits. So cute.

Some of the yummy delicacies---very seafood themed, unfortunately for me. I don't like my food to have eyes or raw parts. It's too fancy for me.

Some of the middle school teachers that Adam works with, getting the picture taken.


More fancy appetizers. I was unsure what half of the options were.

Inside the banquet room, we took our seats as the live band began to perform Christmas music. The band is a Filipino group, that is very enthusiastic about dancing while singing. They were able to get several of the students onto the dance floor to dance--which was hysterical if you knew how shy and reserved 100% of the students are.

Adam, making sure everything is set before sitting down. He loved how the hotel's staff went to the StuCo kids to discuss details and timing.

Our first course--some type of fancy salad, which included a ton of beef.

I didn't get a picture of our second course, because I was distracted by the entertainment. I laughed so hard that I cried, watching the middle school students dancing to Lady Gaga, Black Eyed Peas, and that Beiber kid...they were singing and dancing and looking so awkward, precious, and funny at the same time.

Our third course included cranberries, roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and brussel sprouts. Everything was tasty except the sprouts--I'm not a fan of those tiny cabbages.

The whole room was decorated in blue and silver, at the StuCo kids' request.
Some of our middle school teachers dancing.

Our dessert! Look how creatively our mousse was presented to us.

After the gift exchange, we passed out the pictures from the beginning of the banquet, grabbed our coats, and boarded the school bus. What a fun evening! The kids felt so grown-up and special--and it was a privilege to attend. On a side-note, Adam had to help the 6th grade boys know which utensils to use--they were very confused by all the silverware! :)

~julie