On Monday, Feb. 5, Stevenson’s Student Council (StuCo) hosted an event celebrating the school’s namesake, Adlai Ewing Stevenson II’s birthday, during all lunch periods. Inviting balloon artists and distributing hundreds of slices of cake, StuCo executive board members hoped to foster school spirit, and elevate morale as reasons for conducting the event. 

Stationed outside of Student Activities in the Wood Commons, and in front of the Performing Arts Center in the East building, the event was staffed by over twenty volunteers across the celebration. Launched in 2019, waning student morale became inspiration for added StuCo efforts, also honoring past members of the club. 

“It started a few years ago, when a former executive board member asked ‘What would be a good way to raise spirit this time, before Winterfest, but after the New Year’s excitement has died down?’”  Ishaan Bhonagiri ’25, StuCo executive board member, said. “And they came up with the great idea of celebrating his birthday, with activities and food, and have varied our celebrations throughout the years.”

Bhonagiri believes that these events can foster a sense of community during a time when StuCo believes there’s a dip in student morale as workload starts increasing. Kathryn Hales ’24, StuCo public relations officer was responsible for overseeing, planning, and implementing the event’s operations, and speaks to the differences under her direction. 

“Every year we celebrate differently, but this year we had cake, balloon creation makers, party hats, and party whistles, which boosts the student morale because more people are likely to talk about the events that took place during their lunch period,” Hales said. 

For officers like Hales, the purpose of every StuCo event is to facilitate a further sense of school spirit, and uplift sentiments amongst the student body. For many students, StuCo’s events can serve as a balance to the otherwise stressful daily environments. 

“We know Stevenson has a very academically challenging environment, and events like these are great ways to de-stress during your lunch period and get a balloon animal that’s so silly and fun,” Bhonagiri said. “It helps take the stress away for students whose tests might be picking up, or who are engaged in hard classes and need a break.” 

For StuCo, events like these are directed primarily with student engagement and interaction in mind, devising ways to rid stress through lunch time, and after school, as well as bi-annual dances. With high expectations for the future, Bhonagiri has new goals for future events. 

“All we can do now is expand,” Bhonagiri said. “Next year, we imagine more booths, more events, more activities for the student body to interact with, because the demand is there, and the experience has been very impressive. I’m very happy with how this turned out, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds.