Clash of the Halls: Day 1

The longest-awaited event of the year has finally arrived…today, we kicked off the 2018 Clash of the Halls! To begin the week, Campus Activities Board planned a Hollywood dress-up day for campus. People wore their shiniest clothes, highest heels, and softest velour to show off their high fashion styles.

Classes were each shortened by five minutes to accommodate for a quick opening ceremony and the first event of the week: Think Tank. During Think Tank, halls come together in different locations around the school to answer various trivia questions and combine their knowledge. The questions ranged from identifying vines to deciphering code to playing the Wikipedia game. Each hall finished the challenge during the given time, and their scores were calculated based on their accuracy and speed.

The scores for Think Tank were as follows: 1507, one of the last halls to submit their answers, won the challenge. 1505 and 1502 both finished with time to spare, and received 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Next came 1503 followed by 1501, 1504, and 1506.

While the students were testing their brain power in the Main Building, judges walked through each hall to view the elaborate hall decorations created over the past few weeks. Each hall was judged based on their observation of rules, creativity, aesthetic, materials, and quality. Every hall pulled together an impressive hall commons correlating to their theme. The rankings for hall commons were as follows: 1505 received 1st place followed by 1503 and 1506 who tied for 2nd place. 1507, 1501, 1504, and 1502, followed in the order listed.

Finally, at 7:15 PM, we reached the week’s first evening. The traditional hall movie showing that displays the campus’s videography, storytelling, narration, and acting skills drew large crowds from each hall, packing the auditorium. As the campus watched each movie, some received standing ovations, some gasps, some laughter, and some silence. Each movie took hours to direct, produce, and edit.

1505’s 1st place movie, the first to be shown, blew away the crowd. The narration, clever and comedic camera angles, and intertwined storylines created a cohesive and enjoyable movie. In 2nd place, 1503’s movie displayed a beautiful setting, flowy costumes, and impressive editing. In 3rd, 1506’s clever movie took the audience through the 20th century to portray the different retro eras encompassed in their theme. 1501’s 4th place movie had incredible editing and funny footage. The repetitive storyline left the audience with an eerie feeling… almost paranormal… In 5th, 1504’s movie attempted to explain the Butterfly Effect through breaks in the space-time continuum. The entire movie was shot on campus, and although it was confusing at times, the high paced camera shots and remote controlled scenery created a fun movie. In 6th place, 1507’s movie was a crowd-favorite and a major upset. The storyline featured a wholesome budding bromance between two nightshift workers which may have shifted towards a romance. Finally, 1502’s movie explained the cultural significance of the Phoenix through the use of makeup, camera shots, and narration.

To conclude the exciting day, drill and talent show practices continued for every hall in preparation for the upcoming days. Clash has only just begun!