A Week of Colorful Posters

By Anna Ruble

Hiding behind a pole, your eyes darting around. You are trying to find the person who is supposed to be walking down the library stairs at this exact moment. “What if he left study hall early?” “What if he’s not at school today?” Finally, you see him walking down the stairs, and a rush of excitement washes over you. You watch as he walks through an organized line of 6 people, all throwing flower petals at him. His friend standing at the end of the line with a large and decorated poster clutched in her hands. Everyone stands around and watches with you. You can sense the smiles on every single person’s face as they wait to see if he says yes. A mix of fear, anxiety, excitement, and happiness all occurs just between your C and D block classes. A time when you would typically walk down the hall while thinking about what homework you have to finish before your F block. 

I just walked you through a typical high schooler's experience during CB asking week. CB askings: this sounds familiar because it is a tradition that Dalat has held for many years. A tradition where friends or couples take the time to plan an “asking.” A tradition that sparks new conversations, brings a motivation to come to school during the last stressful weeks, and overall creates a different culture and community. Daniel Pham (12) says, “It is really exciting to walk around school and see askings, honestly it's nice to have just a break from the stress of school and to just watch CB askings.” There are about two weeks set aside by the sophomores where people are allowed to “ask” someone to the Christmas Banquet. During these two weeks, typical things you may hear while walking around campus are, 

“Who are you asking?”

“How are you asking?”

“When are you asking? I want to watch.”

Although CB is only one night and ends rather quickly, CB “askings” are a huge factor in the fun and excitement leading up to the banquet. Whether being the person behind the pole watching or being the person behind the poster waiting, each and every student plays a special role in making those two weeks so entertaining. Maddy Abrams (11) was one of the people behind a poster as she burst into Mr. Riffey’s classroom to ask her boyfriend, Romeo Kontsas (11). She says, “It was scary but really fun coming up with the idea and a plan, and I loved watching all of the people’s reactions.” 

CB askings not only can be fun for individuals who are planning an asking or are being asked by someone, it also provides a break from the stress and workload leading up to Christmas break. This is a tradition that offers the students an opportunity to interact, get out of their comfort zones, experience healthy stress, and overall have fun with their friends.