Behind The Scenes: Inside ASB’s event planning process

Stefani Tovar / The Samohi

ASB hosts their weekly board meeting, student body pitching ideas for upcoming events.

Every school year, ASB puts in the hard work and commitment for the entertainment of students. Through the pep rallies and dressing up for Spirit Week, ASB does a lot more than students see. At every event at Samo, ASB is behind the curtain, collaborating and coordinating with each other and putting in the dedicated effort. Not just during fourth period but outside of school hours to ensure students have a memorable experience at Samo. Taking a deeper dive into the world of the student body, a selected handful of students plan out almost every event throughout the school year. This year, they have hosted multiple events, including a dodgeball tournament and a mock election. Their most recent event was the screening of ‘10 Things I Hate About You,’ going all out with hot snacks like popcorn and hot chocolate, bringing a big crowd of students together. The night was a success, making a warm, comfortable environment for the students. Students enjoyed the event as friends huddled together, couples felt the romance in the air and the homely community watched the infamous rom-com together under a starry night. Demiana Dous (’25) shares her experience volunteering at the ticket booth and participating as a student at the cozy night screening. “My favorite part of the night was being with everyone while cuddled up in our blankets,” Dous said. “It was pretty fun helping ASB and showed me how much effort ASB puts into their events for students to enjoy.” ASB has 14 committees and four class cabinets in charge of the events they host. Some of these committees are for activities, athletics, outreach, spirit, social media and more. Each committee works on a different purpose, activities plan all the big events around Samo like Homecoming while athletics work in collaboration with sports teams to help support in any way. Class cabinets usually host one community-building event and one fundraising event for their grade. To gain students’ attention, ASB works to gather input from the students about any potential event ideas they have. After they’ve looked at all the ideas, they’re pitched by that committee during the weekly meetings and discussed before approved. Once approved, activity and revenue permit forms will undergo a process and be discussed during weekly meetings allowing approval for that committee to begin planning. Once settled and all done, Vice-President, Ry Bardacke (’25) makes sure everyone is on task and writes the day’s quote. “Usually, I’ll google motivational or funny quotes depending on how we’re feeling,” Bardacke said. “It’s a mix of what the class energy is feeling and what’s going on around campus.” ASB has a fundraising committee that collaborates with its current executive treasurer, Sadie Gryczman (’26), to raise funds for ASB. Most of the funds raised come from big events such as dance ticket sales, online donations, and small events such as bake sales. The revenue directly funds all of the events hosted for students to enjoy. ASB is planning another movie night, Christmas themed, just before the holidays come around as the perfect way to kickstart winter break. After much discussion, ASB decided on the movie, ‘Home Alone’ to watch. Vice President Ry Bardacke (25) said he helps the team stay on track and develop ideas to engage with students. “I love ASB because it’s one big community and you’re able to work with the same group of people for so long that it brings us closer when overcoming challenges for the students at Samo,” Bardacke said. With all the weekly meetings, early morning set-ups, and fundraisers every other month, ASB continues to persevere through the school year to make a more welcoming environment by providing opportunities for students to be more involved at Samo while having fun with friends. Senior class secretary Tammy Ikumi (’25) highlights the importance of creating a welcoming atmosphere at Samo. “I hope students can take away the love we share for Samo [in our events] - our main goal in ASB is to create an exciting environment for students,” Ikumi said.