It was Friday, April 21, 2023 at 9:15 a.m.. Students were in their fifth block classes, itching to hear the bell ring. But unlike any other Friday, it was not the prospect of the weekend which excited the Tigers – in a few short hours, the NDB community would gather for Aquacades.

Being the ASB Director of Communications, there was no feeling more gratifying than that of the nearly-tangible excitement in the air. Our small but mighty group had rehearsed, prepared and planned for collectively hundreds of hours. For our work to pay off in such a significant way was a feeling unlike any other.

Any member of ASB, past or present, will affirm that Aquacades is not only the Friday night where the school gathers, but the months of preparation. Beginning in May 2022, we began brainstorming themes for this year. Student council input, personal preferences and past themes were all taken into consideration to eventually decide on “Vaycades” in the fall. As soon as the theme was selected, it was upon us to create a mix. A daunting nine and a half minutes, the 22-song mix took weeks to compile and edit. Concurrently, we prepared our announcement video, which takes audiences to the corners of the Earth we highlight as we filmed at the beach, in the snow, in San Francisco and even the jungle.

Much to our surprise, the announcement went off exactly as planned. And almost immediately, chatter filled the halls, predicting which classes would receive which themes, preparing groups for routines and generally producing a school-wide hopeful anticipation.

Now that the announcement was set, it was time to plan the actual event. We began with our backdrop. The 20 by 20 foot canvas was no easy feat to fill, and the act of priming it took several weeks on its own. But after what seemed to be hundreds of hours of painting, the backdrop was completed just before spring break. Our most proud detail was not the intricate jungle shrubbery or the colorful lettering, but our six handprints, placed and signed in the corner, which marked the piece as our own. As we prepared our backdrop, our routine came together, bit by bit, as lunch choreography sessions turned into full dress rehearsals, jumping in the school pool at nine a.m. on Sundays.

Then, came the day of Aquacades. All of our rehearsals and sleepless nights paid off. The cheers as we entered the pool deck were deafening. Although the event which we had poured a year’s worth of work into was gone in a short moment, the memory of Vaycades lasts forever.