Sneaky Dinner Party

Boyie Chin

On the 21st of September, the Monday after Senior Sneak, the twelfth graders found their way to Big Dustin’s Diner, which was run by the juniors.

            The highly anticipated night had arrived—the after-sneak dinner. Suspense grew in the midst of all the seniors who were waiting at the outdoor basketball court. Alexis Zimbulis (12), the senior class president, gathered her peers and indicated that it was time to head down to the chapel. The senior class trickled down the narrow steps towards the Chapel. Upon arriving at the bottom steps, a big sign read “Big Dustin’s Diner.” Juniors welcomed the seniors into the chapel, while declaring free seating order.

            As seniors selected their seats in the crowded chapel, Mr. Horton, a sponsor of the junior class, ran in with a blue plastic cup.  After yelling, “It was Leonard,” he fell “dead” in the middle of the chapel. Confused faces looked at each other when the collapse occurred. A few more juniors, part of the entertainment committee, entered the room, acting as detectives. A murder has occurred and these ‘elite’ detectives were going to solve it. Scattered laughter filled the atmosphere as some jokes were told.

Soon thereafter, dinner service arrived. The paper plates were filled with delicious French fries and other sorts of appetizing food that one might find in a 50’s diner. Throughout the meal, laughter and conversation filled the air.

Part way through the meal, Aaron Chand (11) strolled up to the stage and declared a game of Jeopardy. The room was split into two teams; team one was known as Team Fabulous, and team two was known as Team Awesome. Each team took turns picking the categories to answer from. The questions consisted of 50’s sayings. After a few intense rounds, the game ended, and Team Awesome won.

An emergency broadcast then played. Kyle Fischer, a former Dalat class of 2016 student, was shown on a screen. Because of the special effects that were added, the attendees of the senior class gazed at each other in uncertainty. The video faded and the night continued.

While the meal continued, melodies filled the air, as four of the juniors (Noah Graves, Darby Kendrick, Susan Oh, and Tim Sasse) danced their way to the front and performed a 60’s dance. Clapping echoed throughout the hall after the juniors danced with big smiles on their faces. Soon after the dance, two more games were introduced, being blowing the biggest bubble and pinning the cherry on the milkshake. Mrs. Roberts and Sarah Stevens (12) won the games respectively and received prizes that were clues to the murder. After the games, a catchy track played on the speaker, while juniors crowded the room and danced to the beat. They invited the seniors to join them, which everyone did. Giggles were heard while seniors tried to perfect their moves.

As the night drew to a close with dessert, the senior class anticipated the mystery to be resolved. “Leonard” was a name that kept coming up. The detectives appeared for one more scene to determine who the murderer was. Mr. Steinkamp, who has the middle name of Leonard, was found guilty of killing Mr. Horton. The night closed as Mr. Steinkamp was taken away.

"I did not know anything about the theme, which made the night a lot more fun and mysterious! The entertainment, decorations, and food were amazing; the juniors did such a great job,” Amanda Goh (12) commented after feasting upon the energy of the wonderful night.

The seniors, with smiles on their faces, left Big Dustin’s Diner for good.