Every year, MVS hosts the Harvest Gathering, a celebration of the start of the school year and the coming of autumn. And while its arrival was belated and abrupt this year, Harvest still rang in the new season with food trucks, pumpkin painting, and, ultimately, student performances. At Harvest, you can hang out with friends, get some boba tea or an ice pop from Sweet P’s stand, but that’s all there is until the student performances, which, in my opinion, is the main reason to come to Harvest. However, this does not mean Harvest is a waste of time; it just needs a sense of direction. The best thing for Harvest to do would be to go all in on these student performances.
To get some outside perspective, I interviewed some of the performers from this year, starting with Roman Miller (‘28), who, when prompted about whether MVS should feature more student performances, said yes, giving the example of how a student who knew card magic could go around a potential event performing tricks for passersby. Next, I interviewed Jonathan Pickens (‘27) who told me about an event MVS used to host, a late-night cabaret where students showed off whatever talents they liked. Unfortunately, it was stopped due to the fact that no one was left to manage it. This prompted me to ask: what if, at Harvest, students could present their skills as they did at the cabaret? I took this question to Coen Dornacher (‘28), who was enthusiastic about the idea, saying that he thought it would be great for people to be able to show off their talents and get recognition for their skills.
In fact, all three performers showed support for an event where students can freely perform. This could be through Improv Club putting on a show, the Jazz Band or Strings Ensemble playing at Harvest, or it could entail booths being set up around the courtyard for individuals to showcase their talents. I believe it would be the best way to reinvent Harvest, breathing new life into our unique autumnal tradition.
