Students bid farewell to textbooks and said hello to summer by attending the epic Last Blast organized by the parent teacher committee (PTC). As the school year ends, middle and high school students highly anticipated the event, which became a fun send-off to the school year. 

Junior Sacadi Powell claimed, “I had a lot of fun with my friends at The Last Blast. I think it was a great way to celebrate the end of the year, I genuinely enjoyed it, and my friends did too.” 

Mr. Chillz Philly Water Ice food truck attended the event granted students a refreshing and delectable treat during the Last Blast. This truck provided a much-needed sweet respite from the heavy heat and shining sun. Mr. Chillz offered a variety of flavors, such as Tiger’s Blood, Pina Colada, and Strawberry Lemonade.  

“I was so excited to get water ice because it was just so hot outside. Eating it was very refreshing and it tasted really good. The person who took my order was also nice, so it made the ice taste even better,” said Freshman Kaylah Hill. 

To enhance the anticipation for the event, principles of biomedical sciences teacher Ms. Kristen Fendone sold T-shirts to students who wanted to keep the memory of the event alive. These blue garments were worn by most students, making them able to get one of Mr. Chillz Philly Water Ice for free.  

“I am really happy that I got a shirt for the Last Blast. Not only can I look back on it with the shirt, but I was also able to get water ice with it. The shirt was super worth it, plus I looked really good in it,” Sophomore Raunel Hernandez stated.  

Adding to the excitement of the event, students had the option to run through obstacle course bouncy houses against their friends. Jumping over walls, crawling through tunnels, pushing through obstacles, and eventually sliding down a slide to reunite with their friends and be met with victory or loss. In the end these challenges usually finished with smiles and laughter.  

“I went against some of my friends while I was out there, and it always ended with us laughing so hard. We were jumping over all the stuff and climbing the stuff to go against each other. I wish we would’ve run through them more than we did because it was fun. Plus, I won against everyone I went up against,” Freshman Stacy Carriles.  

Bouncy obstacle courses were not the only activities at the Last Blast. High school and middle school students were also able to participate in mechanical bull riding and rock climbing. These activities were intimidating to some, but once they tried them out, they realized it was all fun.  

Sophomore Godric Rivera remarked, “I was kind of scared of hopping on the mechanical bull and going up that high with the rock-climbing wall, but once I did both I realized it was not scary at all and I enjoyed it a lot. I wanted to do both again.” 

To top it all off, student and teacher volunteers had a canopy set up for students to choose between glitter tattoos and a selection of face paint including colored dots, spiderman or batman masks, butterflies, and other designs.  

“I got a pretty butterfly painted on my cheek that I thought was so cute. It came off later in the day because I kept moving around but I don’t regret getting it, it made everything more fun,” Sophomore Salomé Restrepo Guarin stated.  

Overall, PTC Last Blast turned out to be a fantastic way to welcome the end of the school year, offering multiple activities and refreshments. 6th-12th grade students will look back on the event for years to come and remember how much fun they had with their friends.