The Student News Site of The Webb Schools

Webb Canyon Chronicle
The Student News Site of The Webb Schools

Webb Canyon Chronicle
The Student News Site of The Webb Schools

Webb Canyon Chronicle
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Pumpkin carving shows Halloween spirit

Vivien Xi, Co-Editor of Media
November 16, 2019
Vivien Xi
Romana Quick, ISP coordinator, helps Ochuru Ochuru (‘23) and Aidan Helgeson (‘23) with their pumpkins.

It’s Saturday afternoon and you decide to take a homework break after lunch. As you walk to upper campus and pass Jameson Archway, you see many International Student Program (ISP) members standing in front of the Quicks’ house; they grin happily and invite you to join their annual pumpkin carving activity. 

The pumpkin carving activity hosted by the ISP and Romana Quick, International Student Program Coordinator, was the first in a series of Halloween events on Saturday, October 26th, 2019. A week prior to the pumpkin carving event, Mrs. Quick sent an email to Student News, and 15 interested students from various grade levels signed up online. They gathered at Quicks’ corner, the cozy patio in between Jameson Archway and Alamo dorm, and began the pumpkin carving session. 

Sharply at 12:00 p.m., the event erupted; most students began by selecting their pumpkins from the back of Mrs. Quick’s truck. The pumpkins included a variety of shapes, which allowed the students to carve their gourds into personal works of art. 

The international student liaisons, alongside Mrs. Quick, organized this event for both day and boarding students. The event was aimed to get students interested in the tradition of pumpkin carving as it created an inclusive and lively atmosphere for the participating students. 

Chris Ma (‘20), co-head of ISP, said, “Since this is the first Halloween for many international students, we really wanted to introduce this American tradition and make them feel welcomed.”

Shuci Zhang (‘23) said, “The event was relaxing and I also got to bond with different people that I would not normally talk to. I had a good time talking to Mrs. Quick, who was very interested in my sustainability campaign. ”

After cutting off the crown of the pumpkin with a sharp, serrated knife and scooping out the seeds and fibers, students unleashed their  creativity and imagination. Using a Sharpie marker, the students drew an outline of their design on the pumpkin and finished their creation by cutting out the patterns. Jonathan Zhang (‘21) recreated his favorite Elmo meme and Laura Li (‘22) carved her version of a ghost emoji. 

Although the pumpkin carving activity was a new addition to the many Halloween activities this year, it was extremely successful, as Mrs. Quick provided various carving tools, templates, and music. Through this meaningful and nostalgic event, domestic students were able to bring back their favorite childhood memories and international students were able to experience American culture. 

Vivien Xi
There were many pumpkins on the table in the Quicks’ patio.
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About the Contributor
Vivien Xi
Vivien Xi, Chief Copy Editor
Vivien Xi (‘21) is a positive and energetic soul from Shanghai, China. This year, she has taken on the role of Chief Copy Editor for the Webb Canyon Chronicle. She is perfect for the position because she is motivated, responsible, organized, and loves helping others. Over the summer, she interned at multiple financial firms and worked at a restaurant. Vivien’s spirit animal is a bee, because they are always working diligently and socializing with others. Vivien's busy bee work ethic will serve her well working on the WCC team and in her near future, especially since she wants to study economics and media. She enjoys playing tennis, eating sushi, and hanging out with friends and family. She wishes to make a positive impact in life, big or small. Vivien has gained a confident voice from working with the Webb Canyon Chronicle. This year, she plans to use her voice and platform on the WCC to speak out about healthcare systems around the world and how COVID-19 has impacted those systems.