The Olathe West carnival is an annual homecoming tradition, part of the beloved Homecoming week. This year, the carnival happened on Oct.1. It’s a time of great food, family fun and awesome club activities, including a bonfire that Public Safety puts on to end the night.

This year, some clubs participated to help raise money. Latinx Student Union took this opportunity to sell some delicious food to raise money for scholarships. Junior Pablo Tejadas commented on the impact of the carnival for LSU.

“I feel like people started to see the culture we brought and how this [the money raised] is going to be used,” Tejadas said.

Black Student Union had a table where you could pay to pie a student for three dollars or a teacher in the face for five dollars. Senior and BSU President Kayden Duncan was helping at the table throughout the evening.

“The atmosphere was really positive,” Duncan said. “It was nice to know that there are teachers out there who care about BSU and that were willing to be pied in the face for us.”

All the money they raised went to field trips for the school year. There will be another chance to pie a teacher in the face with BSU during the Trunk or Treat here at West.

Activity Director Dr. Anna-Lynn Morris spoke about the planning of the event.

“We start planning the carnival in May,” Morris said.

Organizing vendors, activities and clubs is a hefty task to complete that Morris took with great pride.

Public Safety’s firefighters orchestrated the annual bonfire, lighting it at the end of the night. After the fire was lit, Olathe West Leadership Squad led the crowd in our Alma Mater while the band played.

“It’s a lot of fun. A great community outreach event and a fun way to kick off the weekend Homecoming activities,” Morris said. “It is a great West tradition and I’m pretty sure it is unique to us. No other school does what we do.”