On Friday, April 11, NDB students across all grades participated in the beloved tradition, Aquacades, where this year’s theme, Szncades, allowed them to showcase their talents through pool and deck routines and one-of-a-kind backdrops, in a friendly competition.
Each class was assigned a different season paired with a music genre of their choice. The seniors picked summer and pop, the juniors embraced winter with R&B, the sophomores went for spring and country, and the freshman captured fall with rock music.
As every grade brought their own unique energy to this event, the freshmen took part in their first Aquacades with enthusiasm and eagerness.
Freshman August Kelly reflected on the experience, stating, “[The most exciting part was]…the build up of kind of making a routine and thinking about, ‘Wow, we’re actually gonna perform this.’”
The excitement surrounding Aquacades, makes this a bonding experience, building a strong sense of community that defines it. Whether doing routines or cheering on classmates, this is a unique event for everyone to unite and show their school spirit.
“I’m definitely planning on doing it next year, because I’ve been loving to do [routines]since freshman year, and I think it’s going to be super different to do it next year… because it’s senior [year],” said Junior Cecily Rambod.
Besides the routines, the backdrops are an integral part of this tradition, where students from each class collaborate to create a unique and eye-catching design to represent their theme.
Senior Jennifer Elwood stated, “I started helping [freshman year] and I just had so much fun, because you get to be pretty creative with it and collaborate with your friends…It’s also nice to be able to see your work later and see it up [in the cafeteria].”
After hours of dedication and hard work, the grade with the most impressive backdrop, were the seniors winning first place, with the freshmen claiming second place, juniors earning third, and sophomores receiving fourth.
Following the incredible backdrop creations, attention turned quickly to the various performances, where every participant demonstrated their talent, adding more excitement to this competition, judged by NDB alumni.
In the solo swim category, seniors took first place, followed by juniors in second, freshmen in third, leaving sophomores in fourth.
For solo deck, seniors went two for two and came out on top, with sophomores securing second, juniors earning third and freshmen finishing in fourth.
The duet swim saw freshmen in first place, while juniors claimed second, seniors took third and sophomores rounded out the competition in fourth.
In duet deck, juniors stood out with their amazing performance, followed by sophomores in second, seniors in third and freshmen ending in fourth.
The group swim competition was competitive with juniors claiming first, freshmen securing second, sophomores receiving third and seniors acquiring fourth.
For group deck, juniors triumphed in first place, followed closely by seniors in second, sophomores in third and freshmen in fourth.
Finally, the overall winners were juniors taking first in the 2025 Aquacades, with seniors claiming second, freshmen coming in third, and sophomores leaving in fourth place. Each group demonstrated extraordinary talent and creativity, making this competition a memorable showcase of school spirit.
Sophomore Cadence Goblirsch stated, “I was actually very happy with the results, not overall, because the sophomores got fourth place, but for my group specifically, we got second, so I was really happy that our work paid off.”
This year’s Aquacades was more than just a competition, but rather a celebration of school spirit, teamwork, and creativity. From intricate performances to inventive backdrops, each piece of this event reflected the dedication and unity of the NDB community.
