Over the course of three days this spring -- one for each of our hybrid learning cohorts -- the school hosted Gonzagafest, a fun-filled event meant to give students and faculty the chance to celebrate our community. Each of the three Gonzagafests were packed with activities for students to come together in a spirit of friendship and fun competition: dodgeball, tug of war, chariot races, bubble soccer, mini golf, cornhole, and much more.
"At our first Gonzagafest Planning Committee meeting in mid-summer 2020, when things looked bleak, the students told me they had one goal: to find a way for students to create memories," said Ms. Caitlin Farley, who oversaw the event. "Let me be clear: it is the kids who made these events happen. They spent countless hours dedicated to maintaining the spirit of our community through these Gonzagafests. They were brave enough to see past the endless obstacles, determined enough to plan, execute, and clean up tons of creative activities, and enthusiastic enough to bring copious amounts of joy to their Gonzaga brothers and teachers. Frankly, I’m in awe of how much of themselves they gave to this endeavor and I just feel honored to have been in it with them." Next year, Ms. Farley will become Gonzaga's first Director of Student Activities.
We hope you enjoy the video recap below, which includes highlights from each of the three days as well as snippets from the three student-produced films:
"It was great to see pure, genuine enjoyment from our students," said Dean of Students Mr. Jim Kilroy. "I also always enjoy watching students interact with our faculty and staff outside the classroom. Whether it was volleyball, chess, or even bubble soccer, seeing our students get excited about competing with and against our adults was a blast. In a year where we've had only a handful of events to truly harness our great Gonzaga spirit, three Gonzagafests provided the perfect, much-needed outlet for fun."
Thank you to all of our faculty and student organizers who put so much time and effort into making Gonzagafest a success!