Sadie Hawkins held at Magic Mountain

After a prolonged bus ride, students rushed out of buses with their dates to begin the annual Sadie Hawkins event, Oct. 28. This year, for the third time in FC Sadies history, students traveled out of town to Six Flags Magic Mountain to enjoy the rides, food, and fellowship that it provides.

Going along with the theme ‘Opposites Attract’, students dressed in outfits and t-shirts such as ‘sports rivals’, ‘black and white’ and ‘Starbucks and Dutch Brothers’. Despite the long lines and unusually warm fall weather, many students enjoyed their time hanging out with friends at the event.

Samantha Portale, ‘21, enjoyed bonding with students in her grade and having fun. Returning for her second year at Fresno Christian, Portale felt she grew closer with her peers and teachers at Sadies.

“I really enjoyed Sadies,” Portale said. “It was really fun to go to the Magic Mountain for the first time. My favorite ride was the Riddler’s Revenge because of the thrill of standing up during a ride. I also enjoyed the small portion of fright night I got to see. I didn’t get scared but it was a great time.”

In total, 133 students and seven chaperones made the trip to southern California. Leadership originally planned on taking two buses; however, after quickly selling out of tickets, they arranged for an additional bus to take students to Six Flags.

I wasn’t able to go to Sadies last year, but I was really excited to go this year. This was my first time going to Magic Mountain and even going on a roller coaster. It was a great experience. It was fun seeing how different people reacted on the roller coasters. There were a lot of people and it was pretty high energy. — Shauna Howard

As a senior, McKenzie Neal, ’18, hoped to make the most of her final Sadies. Neal enjoyed the group of friends she attended the event with. While at Magic Mountain, Neal rode the X2, Goliath, and Superman rollercoasters.

“My favorite thing about Sadies was spending time with my friends,” Neal said. “I had a great group this year and I wouldn’t have rather spent it with anyone else. This was a fantastic way to end my last Sadies, next year I will miss not being able to go as a student.”

Couples and groups ate at the Johnny Rockets restaurant. Many students enjoyed the food, but complained of steep prices. For dessert, some students indulged in ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery.

Visiting from Louisiana, Matthew Alban, ’19, went to Sadies with Deborah Ingerson, ’20, who recently moved to California from the state. He talks about his experience as an outsider at Sadies this year.

“In Louisiana, we don’t have anything that big other than the state fair,” Alban said. “But in Texas, where I live, we have six flags in Dallas. My favorite ride was X2; it was so crazy. It was worth the two hour wait time. The food was expensive, just as bad as any other theme park. The overall atmosphere of FCS was pretty great. By far, the best part of the day was spending time with my longtime friend Deborah.”

English teachers Kyle Dodson and Andrea Donaghe, who went along as chaperones, decided to join in with the theme of ‘Opposites Attract’. Dodson wore a Pepsi shirt while Donaghe donned a Coca Cola shirt.

Dodson decided to go on Ninja and Battle for Metropolis, Riddler’s Revenge. Dodson encourages students to attend extracurricular events to bond with classmates.

“As a chaperone, we largely walked around and we made sure kids were checking in on their Remind app,” Dodson said. “I thought it (Sadies) was really successful. There were a few scares both literal and figurative, but I felt that the student body enjoyed themselves. It was especially exciting knowing that most of the student body had never been to Six Flags before. It was awesome to see a lot of the excited, scared looks on their faces. It (Sadies) is an opportunity to get to know your student body outside of the classroom.”

First-year student, Connor Jens, ’19, appreciated the time that spent with his date, Jane Shew, ‘20. Unlike many public schools, FC does not incorporate dances into extra-curricular activities.

“Spending time with my date and riding the roller coasters was the highlight of my day,” Jens said. “This being my first year at the school, I enjoyed how we did something that no other schools do, it was a very unique experience. I would definitely recommend people from outside of the school to come to FC Sadies because it was a great time. I am looking forward to going to Sadies again next year as a senior.”

During her first Sadies, Shauna Howard, ’20, was thrilled to ride her first roller coaster. Howard attended the event with her date Charles Gong, ’20, who encouraged her to ride as many roller coasters and she could.

“I wasn’t able to go to Sadies last year, but I was really excited to go this year,” Howard said. “This was my first time going to Magic Mountain and even going on a roller coaster. It was a great experience. It was fun seeing how different people reacted on the roller coasters. There were a lot of people and it was pretty high energy.”

After the end of Sadies, students now look forward to a new event established by the student leadership team called Powder Rough.

After the end of Sadies, students now look forward to a new event established by the student leadership team called Powder Rough.

Powder Rough is similar to Powder Puff, but instead of girls competing in a flag football match, the male student body dukes it out in volleyball games. This particular event will be held around the end of November. Specific dates will be issued at a later date by student leadership.

For more article read: PROFILE: Tyler Villines leads football team with passion or PROMO: Eagles volleyball hosts first D-V playoff game.

This author can be reached via [email protected].

For information on last year’s Sadies, read: Overview of Sadies.