This May, one of our newest events kicked off for the first time – our first annual Spring Carnival. The event was organized and led by a variety of Mountain Lion community members: Scholar Council, student affinity groups, parent leaders, and Muchin staff members. The event was open to all current Mountain Lions, their families, and future Mountain Lions. Students and their family & friends met at Butler Field for a fun-filled day. The Scholar Council led mini carnival games, Affinity Groups presented a “Taste of Muchin”, Muchin scholars volunteered at the bouncy house, staff members volunteered their talents as face painters, and so much more! Our scholar Affinity Groups typically have an annual picnic to unify as a collective, celebrate the year, and enjoy food from each other’s cultures, and this year they combined their picnic with the Spring Carnival.

“Affinity group scholar leaders took charge of serving food to families, other scholars, and staff members. It was a space where our Muchin community learned about the food they’d never tasted before, like jollof rice, birria, and baos,” Crystal McIntosh, Muchin’s Affinity Group Campus Coordinator said.

“The star of the carnival was our Pride cake – the rainbow slices were super popular with scholars and their families. We actually sold out of all our food! I’m already planning on how we can showcase even more aspects of Muchin’s diversity at next year’s Spring Carnival.”

Ms. DeAnn Deal, Muchin’s Assistant Principal, called it a “spectacular event that brought our high school community together where witnessed the magic of genuine connections.”

“Muchin’s 1st ever Spring Carnival was a total success. All the hard work put in by Mr. Segovia, his team, and Scholar Council was all worth it to see all of our current families and future Mountain Lions join together to eat delicious food, play games, and share a good time as a community. I know this is the start of a great new tradition, and we all can’t wait for next year!” said Esperanza Bernabe, Muchin’s Dean of Operations.

Mr. Acosta, Muchin’s Assistant Dean of Culture, even started up an impromptu pickup basketball game during the carnival. Within minutes, tons of incoming freshmen had joined to compete against him. His favorite part of the day, he said, was “connecting with them, seeing smiles on their faces, and sneaking in a little bit of advice.” He looks forward to having already begun building a relationship with them before they’re officially students here this fall.

Ms. Franco, Muchin’s AP Spanish teacher, loved seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces, too.

“The Spring Carnival provided a safe and happy environment for families to be united in the heart of downtown Chicago. The smiles were a response to a positive environment full of activities, games, and, of course, delicious food!” She said.

The seniors enjoyed their last week of school, which we celebrated with tons of action. They attended the overnight camping trip, enjoyed a Grad-Chella themed luncheon, met at 31st Street Beach for one last day with their advisory, and ended the week at their prom!

To officially wrap up the school year, we had a Field Day for the last day of school. Scholars and staff spent a day at the park grilling, playing yard games, signing each other’s yearbooks, and celebrating the year.

After three years of not being able to gather in this capacity, we have been beyond excited to bring back some of these Muchin traditions and begin others. Our campus being located downtown is one of our most unique qualities and something we love a lot about it. But, it also means that we have to be creative when coming together with a community of families from over 55 different zip codes. We are grateful for sunny days, local parks, and awesome staff for making these events possible.

“I’ve always loved Muchin but seeing how hard the teachers & staff are working to make sure this school year has been fun for us has been really cool to see,” said Keiaria Sims, an upcoming senior at Muchin, “I am grateful for the opportunities to get to know other kids a bit better outside of a class setting. I can’t wait to see what activities are planned for my senior year!”

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