A new tradition is taking place at our school. In place of having a Homecoming parade,
the school will be hosting a block party once again. The block party will be on October 11 from
4:30 to 7 pm.
Because of a skirmish with the Department of Transportation and the Loudoun County
Sheriffs Department, the school will not be having a homecoming parade again. The Sheriff’s
Department for the first time, decided to charge each individual school for three hours of
overtime pay for the officers, even though the parade is not three hours long. Understandably so
the school refused to pay the fee and when the Department offered a lower price, it was already
too late because the classes would not have enough time to plan and build a float. Parents who
had complained to the school later went to the Washington Post. If the things had went
accordingly the festivities would have included the block party and the parade.
Despite the controversy surrounding the parade, the school will having the community
event. “It’s going to be about three times the size [of last year’s block party]. We are
incorporating the whole front lawn, the bus loop, and the parking lot,” said Vice President of the
SCA Blane Hornung.The block party allows that elementary schoolers to better interact with the
clubs and their high school peers. Hornung, along with the rest of SCA, has been planning the
block party.
The event will be featuring a moon bounce, music, carnival food, and a bon fire. Some
clubs that plan on participating will be the class advisory boards, DECA, Key Club, and FCCLA.
Some local business that will be featured include Famous Daves.
The community’s response to the block party has been overwhelmingly positive. “There
aren’t any complaints about it from the students. We are really just trying to get everyone to
come in and see the clubs that are available here,” said Hornung. SCA has been raising
awareness for the event. “We have advertised it to all the elementary schools who feed into
River Bend,” said Hornung. The block party will also be featuring Mrs. Haugen’s brownies,which
are legendary for being mouth wateringly amazing.
Unlike the parade, the block party is able to feature food and fun games for the school
and community. According to Hornung, there is no way to compare the block party and the
parade. “They are completely two different things.” Although the block party has had mixed
reactions, the event is bound to be a splashing success.