Words: Amanda Ali

Over many years at Centennial High School, the SGA has hosted an event called the Jingle Bell Banquet. This year, the annual service event was held on Dec. 4 in the school’s cafeteria.

The SGA invited senior citizens living in senior homes in the community to have a holiday meal and of course, dessert. They then treated these seniors with the first showing of the Winter Spectacular, as well as a decorated scarf for each of them. Not only does the SGA have to check scheduling conflicts and budget their money, but they also have to work with local bus companies in order to provide the seniors with transportation.

The Fine Arts Department is greatly involved in the banquet when it comes to giving the seniors discounts on admission to the Winter Spectacular, and the SGA invites Centennial performance groups to put on a show during the feast. This year, Centennial’s Drill Team was asked to put on a holiday number, and danced to “Jingle Bell Rock” for the seniors.

The SGA dedicates much of their time into running this event, but they enjoy every moment of it. Senior SGA Vice President Julia Zhen stated, “This was my fourth consecutive year volunteering for [this event]. It’s definitely up there as one of SGA’s favorite events we do all year because we get to directly help out our community during the holiday season.”

“Lots of our guests this year remember the Jingle Bell Banquet from year’s past, and they love the Winter Spectacular!” said Zhen. “It really just helps to cultivate a great reputation for Centennial.”

Zhen and the rest of the SGA achieved their goal in making this banquet a success yet again, and Centennial cannot wait to see what other events they plan throughout the year!