On June 2nd, 2023, students all around CRLS were greeted with the smell of cooking hotdogs and burgers wafting through the air, an unofficial marking of the start of the annual CRLS Nest Fest. Nest Fest is a widely known and celebrated event meant to commemorate the leaving of the seniors and mark the beginning of summer. This year’s Nest Fest brought out hundreds of students, and included events such as a rapping competition, party games, and a tattoo stand. Student organizations like History and Culture Shock club also hosted stands that sold food and the entire event was complemented by the talents of the CRLS band playing live music.

For many seniors, however, the mood was somewhat heavy and sentimental, as it marked their very last day of high school before graduation. “In three adjectives… I would express the feeling as sad, happy and bittersweet,” says Miriam Stodolsky ’23, who also mentioned that although Nest Fest was a fun experience, there was a desire for more activities.

The food at the event seemed to be a major highlight, with attendees, such as Gray Bittker ’23 stating, “I think that there are a lot of good food options available.” Gray also expressed dissatisfaction with the arrangement of the ticket line, telling the Register Forum, “The ticket process [was] very unclear and poorly planned… it could have been improved by informing people of how to get tickets and where the actual event would be, a lot of people didn’t know where it was until today.”

Although there might have been some difficulties with the planning, it’s important to address the difficulties that the student government has been overcoming in order to make the whole event run as intended. Isabella Leith ‘24, who was involved in the creation of the event, told the Register Forum, “Organization is always tough with [these] big events. Making sure everyone knows where to be and when, that all responsibilities are taken care of, and that everything is fully planned out can be difficult. That being said, it all worked out great!”

Leith also concurred with Miriam on potential improvements like the inclusion of more activities, stating “I know lots of people were calling for more activities, such as spike ball or volleyball or something like that. For next year, it might be fun to look into more clubs/tables who are doing activities, not just selling goods.”

Nest Fest has become a CRLS tradition, and like any good tradition, there is always room for improvement. This year’s Nest Fest represented an enjoyable and unique break from the monotony of lunch for lower classmen and a fun way to commemorate the departure of the class of 2023. As time goes on, we can aim for Nest Fest to become a perfect representation of CRLS spirit, extracurriculars and culture, and can trust that those responsible for planning it will make the best experience possible for all of CRLS.

This article also appears in our May/June 2023 print edition.