From Excellence in Education Awards to Dodgeball, Night at the Falls promises to be an event to celebrate the panther community in its 25th year.

On Saturday April 23 from 4 to 8pm, Potomac Falls will be hosting “Night at the Falls” — a celebration of 25 years of panther pride. Night at the Falls (NATF)will be an extravagant school based event celebrating the 25 years that Potomac Falls has been opened. It’s been more than a decade since the last NATF celebration, and while some traditions are making a comeback, the event will boast activities and awards that it hasn’t before.

Think of it as a school-wide celebration as it starts in the auditorium with Excellence in Education and scholarship presentations, followed by athletic signings for seniors who have committed to play at the collegiate level.
This will be followed by Fine Arts performances including one-act plays and musical acts from choir, band and guitar.

An open house style event, there will food and goods vendors in the cafeteria and a dodgeball tournament playing in the gym. The tournament previously drew in more than 30 teams, and sign up for the event have recently opened to not only students but also staff, alumni and community members.

Here’s a run down of all of the things that will take place during Night at the Falls:

Student Athletic and Academic Recognition

Following speeches made by Dr. Brandon Wolfe, principal, students who have excelled in either academics or athletics will be recognized. In addition to awards and scholarships, athletic signings will take place at this time. “A lot of those scholarships and awards are information we won’t find out until May. And those students, if we don’t have their award information, we are going to do an end of year slideshow that will be posted on the website and sent out to all seniors and their families,” said college and career specialist, MaryAnn Ottenberg. “Everyone will be acknowledged at some point in time,” added Ottenberg. This event is the opening event for Night at the Falls, and will go from 4:15-5:30pm. 

Drama and Music Performances

Additionally, the drama department will be performing the one-act play Johnstown Flood of 1889 in the theater, and SOFA will present improv comedy in the Black Box. Corrine Fox, the PFHS drama teacher, is feeling excited to showcase their piece. “I’m not really treating this event any differently than a normal show. The biggest difference is that the audience will be more of a ‘festival style’ which means rather than sitting through the entire performance, people will be more likely to come and go throughout it,” said Fox. The Panther choir will also be singing in the theater, along with the band, orchestra, and guitar playing in the auditorium. There is also a chance that student musicians will be dispersed throughout the school for all to hear when you are walking through the hallways. 

Silent Auction

The silent auction will take place in the main hallway in the front of the school. This event will last the whole night from 4-8pm. CTE teachers Susan Miller and Lindsey Walls will be in charge of the silent auction. Currently, they have amassed nearly $3,000 worth of items to be auctioned off. “Right now we have a $300 executive package from ARIA spa… I’m trying to secure some laptops from Walmart for some higher ticket items that will drive up the auction,” said Miller. In addition to higher price auction items like electronics and gift packages, there will also be restaurant gift cards, golf packages, and shopping gift cards up for grabs. Higher ticket items will be auctioned off first at the beginning of the night, so get there as soon as you can to get the most bang out of your buck. 

25-year History Walk

Also occurring in the hallways of the school will be the Student Council Association’s (SCA) 25 year history walk. The history walk will be a “walk through panther pride,” said sophomore Madison Speilman, an SCA member taking the lead on the planning of the walk. “We will be showcasing traditions, sports, visual arts, and student/school spirit through poster boards with photos from each of the twenty-five years,” said Speilman. Original sports uniforms and panther mascot heads are also planned to be displayed through the walk. 

Food and Business Vendors

Located in the cafeteria will be small and local business vendors, and food vendors. Some vendors are PFHS alumni or currently enrolled students. Featured vendors include Fireworks Pizza, Robeks and Ridgetop Coffee. Contrasting from food vendors, there will also be an opportunity to buy handmade goods such as clothing, jewelry, and other crafts. 

Dodgeball Tournament

Perhaps one of the most exciting activities is the dodgeball tournament that will go down in the main gym. As long as you have a set team to play in the game, you are able to sign up and compete in the dodgeball tournament. The cost is $10 per team, and every team needs a minimum of six people and a maximum of twelve. Team uniforms are encouraged; team names are required.

Trivia Tournament

Located in the library will be a random fun fact trivia tournament sponsored by the PFHS science department. Random fun facts include topics such as music, celebrities, history, movies, sports, current events, and more. Individuals or teams can participate in this event. The tournament will start with three “first round events” of two, 10 question rounds to determine the top three competitors or teams to compete in the “final event”, which will decide the ultimate trivia tournament champion. 

Club Activities

Clubs such as Feature Friday, embroidery club, and Make-A-Wish club will have their own booths to promote their club and create even more school spirit at NATF. “Once we know who we have and what they’re doing, we’ll start plugging them in mostly upstairs and maybe some outside,” said student activities coordinator and DE history teacher Kiki Ottenberg. A sneak peak of activities include a cake walk, carnival games, bingo, and an escape room. As far as outside activities there is discussion on a spike ball game and a dunk tank. In addition to activities, some clubs will also be handing out goods such as baked goods, t-shirts, and more. 

Night at the Falls will be a way to help out and raise money for the panther community and school upgrades as well as a way to show school spirit, hang out with peers, and socialize with people of different backgrounds. The event is held on Saturday, April 23 from 4-8pm. There is no cost to enter but bringing cash is encouraged for vendor items and some club activities.