On Saturday April 13 at 5 PM, Potomac Falls is yet again hosting the Night at the Falls (NATF). The event returned two years ago to celebrate the school’s 25th year after being on a hiatus for more than a decade. “The main idea is to try to get community involvement,” said William Jeffcoat, Student Activity and Engagement Coordinator (SAEC). “[We want to] try to get River Bend and the elementary schools to come up and see what Potomac falls has to offer.”
There are many activities catering to all ages including club booths with activities and games hosted by PFHS students, items up for auction, a dodgeball tournament, and a vendor market featuring several local businesses.
Dodgeball
The SCA is scheduled to host a dodgeball tournament in the main gym starting at 6 PM. If you want to watch the event, bring your friends, family and school spirit to cheer for your teammates. To participate in the tournament, people can build a team of eight or more players and register for $10 per team. They must fill out a registration form, which can be found in front of the PFHS counseling office. Forms are due by April 5. “There will be a mix of people helping us out, it will not be just the SCA club. It’s a lot of fun to support and come out because it’s not just a dodgeball game to watch but it’s a lot of fun to see everyone come out and play dodgeball with their club or friend group”
Vendors
There are several local businesses attending the event including food by Authors Best Selling Ice Cream, Ridgetop Coffee, and a Chick-Fil-A food truck. Additionally, representatives from Top NOVA Orthodontics will have a booth as well as Styled by Jenn Lawrence, who is selling handmade accessories, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) who are bringing rescue vehicles for a “Touch-A-Truck” event and tour. “They are all coming to show what they have and to help their business,” said Jeffcoat.
Club Booths and Activities
NATF will also feature several school club booths that will put on activities and games for those in attendance. The clubs that are going to be hosting are DECA, Student Council Association (SCA), National Art Honors Society (NAHS), Open Heart, Visual Arts Dep, Global Ambassadors, Key Club, Freshman Class, Asian American Association, Middle Eastern Club, Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA), Make-A-Wish, Science National Honor Society, Future Health, National English Honors Society and Speech And Debate.
There will be hands-on activities such as fair-style games hosted by Open Heart Club and Asian American Association, and games to test your knowledge including Science Trivia hosted by Science National Honor Society, wellness trivia from Future Healthcare Professionals, and global trivia hosted by Global Ambassadors. In addition to games, Open Heart Club will have a decorate-a-heart craft to help “spread the love.” “We are having a booth to spread awareness about homeless shelters and what people can contribute to the community to benefit those in the shelters,” said junior Laila Plunkett, Open Heart Club co-president.
There will be plenty of snack options as Key Club, Freshman Class, and National English Honor Society are all hosting bake sales at the event. Speech And Debate is going to be selling popcorn and water bottles, and Make-A-Wish is hosting a cake walk. “People should do [our cake walk] because it’s a good way to get a treat and benefits the Make-A-Wish foundation,” said sophomore Eli Wike, president of Make-A-Wish.
Some clubs such as NAHS and Middle Eastern Club will be offering creative activities such as face painting and henna paintings. NAHS will also have a gallery exhibit that features several students’ work including those in the club and others enrolled in AP Art. “From our club, you can expect some really talented consistent work from the artists there, especially from the AP Art students,” said Karwaan Kotwal, a student in the NAHS club whose work will be featured. “Regarding my works, you’ll see a lot of experimentation, a lot of ideas being presented and being represented in different ways. I’m really excited to express my work and my ideas towards those who are interested in those concepts,” said Kotwal.