Pole sana! That is kiswahili for “I am very sorry!” that it took so long to finish my tale of our incredible Avatar themed event… (if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, go find “The Big Event: Preparation” to hear of all that went into making this night a huge success!!!)

---

The day was pulled off without a hitch.

All morning parents and students alike ran around like busy little bees, putting all kinds of last minute things into place- turning on little light bulbs and dropping them into vases to light up flower displays, placing silverware and plates in just the right place, not too early as to avoid catching dust or fingerprints from wandering hands and more.

Flowers were placed into vases, smoke machines and black lights were turned on. The last of the greenery was tacked onto the walls and the rest of the plants were given one last watering to perk them up for the big night they had ahead of them.

By 2pm, most of the work was done for a flawless Banquet (remember: Prom attempted equivalency, but honestly we blow prom out of the water with out BQ’s we pull off) to be executed that evening.

Students were slowly released for hair, nails and make-up, OR a shirtless rugby game without shoes on upper field. You figure out which gender opted for which option! Around three or four I wandered away from the room that was well in hand to prep myself to be an attendee- the beauty of the event! You plan and plan and plan, then leave the execution for the parents and sophomores to pull off.

I was ready by about 5pm, and headed back up to Downing to see if things were going well. Each year a window of time is designated for “walk-through,” that is, an hour where the rest of campus gets to come into your space and admire your work. They get to fawn over your extravagance and oooh-and-ahh as little bits of jealousy well up in their hearts that it isn’t their event to attend.

Maybe strategic, maybe coincidental, either way, my being there to “check on things” during the walk-through meant I got to catch complements that were tossed out left and right, my heart swelling in pride for all that my students had accomplished though their construction, painting of murals, and overall careful crafting of the mood the room set.

I left the banquet hall as rain began to fall from the sky, grabbing a bag to protect my straightened-then-curled hair from the drops of doom attempting to land themselves and create frizz, and meandered to the court where students were gathering for pictures with their dates and parents to fawn over their beauty.

The sun was hitting JUST right for golden hour lighting as the rain slowed and students lined up for the obligatory photo shoot, begrudgingly allowing me in their line up here and there 😉

Time passed and students wandered off to the “walk-up”, they follow a set path where the rest of campus lines the walkway, toddlers to adults in place to admire the students in their beautiful dresses. They then walk through some live-action scenes constructed outside before being shown to their tables and given the chance to explore the banquet hall for the first time (as seniors, hopefully the well-kept secret a delightful surprise) or as relaxed guests there to enjoy the fruits of their labor (the juniors who’d worked so hard to pull off an event of this magnitude).

As adults, we waited till the end so the crowds had thinned as we found our way to the path.

We wandered through an active military conflict zone, the fuselage of a plane our first hint of the theme. We emerged around the corner to be met with a lit grill, some smoke, a bellowing military leader and a couple of lurking Avatars, adults in full garb lurking on the sidelines. We then entered the mad science lab, my friend David playing the role all too well, decked out in one of my own lab-coats, dry ice and colored water making a very inaccurate science lab, yet impressive looking set. There were two guys, half human, half avatar, on boards, being “experimented on” themselves.

A photo booth met us after the lab tent, where we paused for pictures before entering into the banquet hall itself.

The stunning set was enhanced by teenagers in their best black-tie attire wandering around with glittering eyes, the tree of souls providing the most light in the room, the clear stage for the entertainment to come.

When I tell you the program was executed flawlessly, I mean, flawlessly. The emcee’s began the evening by setting the mood that we were in conflict, Na’Avi and Militia. Characters were presented as centerpieces of the vignettes to come, and food rolled out right on time. We were supposed to get our first course at 7:20pm.

At 7:20pm EXACT, twenty sophomores walked out with trays on their shoulders bearing loaves of braided bread and ramekins of flavorful whipped butter, seasoned oil, and hummus. A ladies choir in the Na’Avi language that sounded terrible during every single rehearsal came to life in excellence as somehow between the last rehearsal and performance, they not only aligned themselves with each other, they also managed to work with the sound system to reach a just right balance of their voices.

Students began to visit the canteen for their color changing drink as they discovered their ticket under their plates. They wandered to the body paint station to be dotted with glow-in-the dark paint by the real-live avatar actors.

The mic-crackled and students were called back to their tables, 7:40pm and trays entered the room full salads. Glow sticks were making their way through the room as students found the jewelry making table that contained them and wooden tribal-like beads that turned into keychains and bracelets under their expert fingers.

Another moment of entertainment as a student began to twirl her light up poi-balls in an expertly choreographed dance after a scripted scene that carried the storyline forward.

Once more right on cue, the sophomores appeared bearing tray after tray of beef and broccoli alongside blue confetti rice as the main dish of the event.

The screens crackled to life once more calling attention to the progression of the storyline. Another scene, this one pulling in the avatar dressed up characters. It was coming! My moment was coming… if you’ve seen the movie, you know there is a major conflict scene at the end and the tree of souls burns down.

Somehow, somewhere along the way one of the students requested the tree burn, and ever the chemist, I was more than happy to oblige. Stupid as it is, I am literally getting choked up with excitement even now writing this part…

Flash paper was purchased and brought by parents coming from South Africa (not available in Kenya, MUCH too expensive in America). After much experimentation, the paper was carefully placed such that it lined inside the hollow trunk of the tree: invisible to anyone who might be looking for it, but waiting for the incredible moment of wow. The shrieks and shouts of joy when the trunk lit ablaze in the middle of the conflict scene was worth every painstaking second of work.

As the last of the flames burnt out, all the lights were turned off and the room was left in utter darkness. A duet slowly made their way to stage and began a lovely rendition of “There Can Be Miracles” in eerie stunning, hollow voices. I swear, it burned for maybe 20 seconds but my coworker Jordan who was holding the contingency fire-extinguisher as a backup claims it burned for 10 minutes at least. It was a flawless transition. I don’t know if there was ever a moment where more of my true pyromaniac came out then with my self-adulation that radiated after the lighting of that tree. I was on cloud nine. It worked! I needed to remind myself to calm down and listen to the stunning music or I’d miss the best music number of the night altogether.

Students were still wrapping their minds around fun display of pyrotechnics that had just taken place, dwelling in the goosebumps the song had left behind, or tossing glowsticks at each other when once more, right on cue, the next course started rolling out.

There were two dessert: a carefully chosen fire and ice contrast! Blueberry Lemon sorbet and Creme-Brulé, the PERFECT follow up to an epic burning of the tree as the avatar actors now wandered around with food torches and torched the Brulé atop the Creme table by table. Every once in a while, an extra-buttery dish erupted into magnificent three-foot flash flames that calmed two seconds later. When the spark of dessert had worn off, the last scene of entertainment for the night was followed by a short devotional led by the invited speaker.

I found my way to the stage to provide instruction for the next segment of the evening: a dance party with choreography learned well in advance, mixed with some just dance inside the banquet hall. The added bonus was of not moving to a different venue for the dancing was that the students themselves helped jump-start the breakdown of tables, centerpieces and dishes.

An hour or so later, the night came to a close and students were sent home. My sponsor team and I lingered, not wanting the event to end, while also doing tiny bits of clean up prep in preparation for the following mornings set strike.

As I went to lock the door on the banquet hall, I took a look around the darkened room, bulbs scattered in the corners with tiny lights and the floor littered with glowsticks left by overzealous students.

It was a picture of beauty, of hard work fulfilled, of the joy the students experienced partying the night away in a venue of good, clean fun!