the
PHARCYDE
THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
@thepharcyde_tbs
4875 Grandiflora Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
10 November 2023
@thepharcyde_tbs
Volume 45
Issue 02
Frighteningly Fun “Trunk or Treat” Unites Campuses Cars, Costumes, Candy Welcome Autumn to SoFlo Joey Tomassetti & Chase Zur Senior/Associate Editors On Sat. Oct. 21, from 3 to 5 p.m., the Upper School hosted the first annual “Trunk or Treat” in the Upper School parking lot. This event helped to build a sense of community between the Lower and Upper schools. The Benjamin Parents Association (BPA) organized the event and asked students from the Benjineers, Student Council, and National Honor Society (NHS) to help volunteer. Members of the student council wore costumes and all of the older students walked around with the younger bucs as they went from car to car collecting candy, while also competitng for the best-decorated car. Senior and Student Council President Maggie Smith felt that the event was a great way to foster connections within the school and enjoyed helping out. “We were able to connect with the younger students and create a relationship which was really nice. So many families came together to cre-
ate such a fun event. People were able to reserve a parking spot, decorate their cars, and show up to the event to share the Halloween Spirit. The Benjineers came in first place with their amazing ship-decorated-car,” explained Smith. Junior and Benjineer Olly White had a great time decorating the cars and handing out candy. “Our car decoration included a robot battlefield where kids could drive and battle to get candy which was really great for kids of all ages. I think this helped us to win the competition because it combined learning about engineering with having fun,” said White. Senior and NHS President Matias Saiz was joined by other NHS members in assisting with the “Trunk or Treat.” “We were trying to diversify the community service opportunities we do as NHS and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. Judging by the smiles on the visitors’ faces, I would say the event was very successful,” said Saiz.
Saiz believes that Benjamin can benefit from the two campuses interacting with each other. “I think that connecting with the younger members of the school can make the school itself a better place for everyone. We are one, big community after all, so it’s good to have events like these where we are joined together,” added Saiz.
The goal of the event was to give the visitors a fun time. - Matias Saiz Sophomore and student council representative, Izzy Casey, loved seeing the smiles on the younger Buc’s faces and how excited they were to dress up, decorate their cars, and enjoy some candy. “It was so nice to see how much
Upper School Dean of Academics and World History Teacher Mrs. Caroline Guzman poses with her family as they attend “Trunk or Treat.” (Photo by Maggie Smith)
it meant to the little kids and how happy it made them to be with older students and get in the Halloween spirit. It reminded me of when I used to go trick or treating with my parents when I was little and I hope this tradition continues in the years to come,”
Casey expressed. The first ever “Trunk or Treat” seems to have been a huge success. Everyone involved had a great time and it helped bring the Benjamin community together for the spooky season.
15 Years of Bucs: Class of 2024 Visits Lower School for Halloween Parade Caroline Groffman & Reid Waxman Associate Editors A continuous tradition at the Benjamin School is the 15-year club. This select group of students has been attending the school since it’s been possible to, starting in WOW, short for “World of Wonder’’. To celebrate this commitment to the school, the administration sets up special events for members of this club. “I think it’s nice because we are a family-oriented school. Also, I think it’s nice to celebrate those kids and their families who have been here with us from the start. On our end, it’s cool to see their development from 3 to 18, and their success and their maturity has grown and become lovely,” says Academic Dean Mrs. Caroline Guzman. The 2024 graduating class went down to the Lower School to fulfill the Halloween Parade tradition of walking around the field with younger students from WOW to 5th grade. “I was excited for the parade because I’ve been waiting for it since I was originally in it. My sister got to do it two years ago and I even wore the same costume. It was really fun to see all of the little kids and to talk to them all about Benjamin,” explains a member of the 15 Year Club, Maggie Smith. There is currently some controversy over changing the rules and making it so that students of the 14-
year club can also be involved from years before. This is because not every graduating class has even had the opportunity to be a part of the 15-year club since the school did not always have a WOW grade level. Although the Halloween Parade is the main event for the club during the school year, this group of seniors is trying to possibly create another opportunity to celebrate their commitment to the school. As Maggie Smith once again says, “I know that we get a page in the yearbook but there are no other real events that we specifically get to do. However, we are trying to plan something else for this year maybe.” Another Senior who is part of this club is Isabella Casher. She was looking forward to the event and claimed that it did not disappoint. “The Halloween Parade was so much fun and it was really exciting to see all of my old teachers from the Lower School,” says Casher. Overall, this Halloween tradition brings joy to everyone involved because it is a chance for the younger and older students to be brought together and have a nice time. The 15year club is a great accomplishment and these students should be proud of their continuous connection to the Benjamin community throughout the years.
For “Trunk or Treat,” the Benjineers made their car look like a pirate ship. (Photo by Maggie Smith)
NHS members (from left to right) Lizzy Davies (junior), Ryan Wuhrman (senior), and Brianna Cousin (junior) all volunteered at “Trunk or Treat” on Sat. Oct. 21. (Photo by Maggie Smith)
Class of 2024 15-Year Club Members: Isabella Casher Atticus Fasnakis-Nosal Shane Giamo Julian Janin Tyler Kelly Chase Malamala Canyon Rauch Christian Smith Logan Smith Maggie Smith Zachary Smith
Eleven Members of the Class of 2024 have called Benjamin their home for their entire school lives. As is tradition, the members of the 15-year club help lead the annual Halloween Parade. Before the event, they posed in front of the Banyan tree at the Lower School for a group picture. (Photo by Izzy Casher)