Hot Springs celebrates end of the school year

HOT SPRINGS – The students of Hot Springs ended their school year in style, enjoying class barbecues, water balloon fights and an awards ceremony.

The end of the year festivities kicked off Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. with students, faculty and family members enjoying hamburgers and hot dogs in the school gymnasium.

The threat of thunderstorms forced the attendees inside, but did not seem to dampen anyone’s spirits as students and adults alike filled the school to enjoy the grilled food.

Hot Springs resident Gary Jones prepared the food for the event on his oak-fired smoker. Jones kept busy ensuring the hamburgers and hot dogs continued to flow towards the crowd gathered in the gym.

Hot Springs Superintendent Kevin Meredith noted this was the second year the school had marked the end of the semester with an evening meal.

“The barbecue is a nice way to end the year on the right note,” Meredith said.

Meredith added the class barbecue was part of the school’s ongoing efforts to promote parental and community involvement at the school, something the town of Hot Springs has taken to quite well over the past couple of school years.

“It’s a nice way for parents to meet teachers, especially new staff members,” Meredith said.

Meredith noted the barbecue debuted at the opening of the 2012 school year in the fall. The superintendent explained the school added the event to the end of the year as a way for staff and students to celebrate the end of finals.  

The Tuesday grill session was followed by a Wednesday full of activities for the high school students.

In the early afternoon students went across campus to the gymnasium, where each teacher presented awards for a variety of student accomplishments.

The awards ranged from serious recognition of academic achievement to amusing nods to eccentric members of each class.

As is the case with the barbecue, the class awards debuted last year.

The awards were for students from grades 7 to 11, since the seniors graduated last week.

“The awards started as a way to recognize the students for their achievements during the school year,” Meredith said.

The grand finale of the Savage Heat’s end of the year celebrations was a faculty versus student no-bars water balloon fight, also in its second year of existence.

Following the conclusion of the awards ceremony, students and teachers marched to the school’s football field where buckets upon buckets of loaded water balloons awaited them.

Each class had its own bucket full of the balloons, while the teachers also had one of their own.

The different factions took up position on different parts of the field and the chaos began shortly after.

Students and teachers ran amok flinging their balloons, while avoiding those of their opponents.

Some forward thinking individuals smashed their balloons within the buckets and proceeded to dump the now full buckets of water on their unsuspecting foes.

The fight was up for grabs until the teachers positioned themselves in the field’s crow’s nest with water hoses, a decided advantage in the water fight.

Meredith said running around outside helped everyone de-stress following final exams.

“The water balloon fight is a nice way for everyone to have an enjoyable time, to send off the students with a smile,” Meredith said.