On May 5, South hosted its annual Spring Fling in the Auto’s Courtyard.

For at least two decades, according to Dr. Jim Shellard, director of student activities, the event has been aimed at alleviating students’ stress and taking advantage of the nice weather.

Senior Audrey Brown said, “It’s a great tradition and it’s a fun thing in the spring to celebrate [since] it’s not cold anymore. I think it’s really important to have a break during AP testing […] and I know personally […] [I was] so excited for Spring Fling because I could [look forward to] just hanging out and doing fun stuff all day instead of worrying about studying.”

According to senior John Schurer, student body president, student council took a new approach to planning the event this year.

“Usually, we have committees for each aspect of [Spring Fling], and […] we would have fewer committees, but more people on the committees, so perhaps a lot of people […] didn’t feel obligated to put everything they could into it,” Schurer said. “This time, [we assigned] specific people specific roles, [to make sure] all the directions were coming from the executive board.”

This new method allowed there to be more booths and activities than ever. According to Shellard, approximately 20 clubs were raising money to fund their expenditures. Any extra money raised by student council, however, was donated to a cancer research organization, Abby Grant, junior class president, said.

“Last year, we raised money for Doctors Without Borders, and this year, we’re raising money for cancer survivors because we thought that [this] was a very prevalent issue this year,” Grant said. “The money we get from the dunk tank and […] selling food [is held to pay for the event], but we also donate a lot of it to an organization.”

While fundraising is an important aspect of Spring Fling, the majority of the occasion was dedicated to giving students a chance to take a break as GBS approaches summer vacation. Back by popular demand, the Cheesie’s food truck is an example of this mission.

Shellard said, “[My favorite part of Spring Fling] is seeing everybody out there laughing and smiling and just having a [good time …]. I kind of look at this as kind of a selfish event […]; we’re all just chilling together. We’re all just celebrating ourselves a little bit, but I think there is a place for that.”

As for the future of Spring Fling, Shellard and Schurer hope that Student Council remains responsive to student interests, and that they will maintain the mellow ambience surrounding the event.

“Ultimately, [the atmosphere is] what students gravitate towards,” Schurer said. “I think that authentic way to meet people and get to know them is really cool and I hope that’s what’s preserved next year.”