Last Saturday, October 26th, the UHS Mini-Thon committee hosted Hawk Harvest, a festival that brought children, parents, and UHS students alike to participate in carnival games, arts and crafts, and other fall-themed activities together in and around the gymnasium and cafeteria.

All of the activities were set up and run by students from various honor societies and clubs at Urbana, which were collecting money for different causes. For example, the Art of Policy club, a club that has goals to reform local policies, ran raffle baskets as a “collective movement to… change the car line to fund cones,” said Olivia Dinkle, the secretary of the Art of Policy club, and a junior at UHS. Similarly, the Necktie Club set up an arts and craft table, the Ultimate Frisbee Club had Kan Jam, and the Alliance of Latin American Students hosted a pumpkin toss.

Several charities collected money, such as the UHS Thirst Project, where the money goes, according to club member and senior Claire Sanford, “directly to the countries that need help” specifically “women, children, and men who don’t have access to clean water.” Sanford also explained how “every 21 seconds a child will die of a water borne disease,” so the money donated to this club, as well as other charity-based clubs, such as the Red Cross Club, went to a good cause.

Honor Societies ran activities as well, such as the S’mores Station (National Science Honor Society), the Pumpkin Sugar Cookie Decoration (Spanish Honor Society), and the bats on a stick station (National Art Honor Society).

Some of the stands were specifically for UHS students and their families, such as the stations for Urbana High School Safe and Sane and Encouragement for Voter Registration. However, most of the activities were more geared towards families, such as Spooky Bingo, Spikeball, face painting, a rubber duck race, pumpkin decorating, a selfie station, moonbounce, and a station with Apple Cider and Donuts.

UHS students and their families especially enjoyed the Haunted Trail in the hallways.

All and all, the Hawk Harvest was a fun event that brought the entire Urbana community, from toddlers to students to parents, together.