By Akilesh Swamy, EPS Class of 2023

Assembly: “a group of people gathered together in one place for a common purpose”
– The Oxford Dictionary.

Assemblies are a staple of all schools around the country. Typically once a week, faculty members can give a rundown of the weekly programming or other important announcements. But EPS is different and there’s no reason that our middle band period on Monday should be like others across the nation.

In one of our first meetings of the year, Zubin (’23), one of our Community Outreach co-chairs, proposed the name EagleCon, after our faculty advisor, Ms. Harris, suggested we change the name to signal a change to a more student-led weekly period. While taking inspiration from the well-known Comic-Con and utilizing our Eagle mascot, the name EagleCon was born.

But EagleCon isn’t just a name rebrand, there’s been a change in formatting and, most importantly, there’s been more power given to the students to get their announcements, thoughts, and opinions across. Starting with a loud, enthusiastic “WELCOME TO EAGLE-CON” and ending with Eagle Showdown, a new event in which students compete to win “spirit points” and prizes for their grade, EagleCon is filled with new student-suggested events and announcements where any Eagle can speak and enlighten the rest of the student body.

Some of the highlights from my EagleCon experience have been the once-a-trimester events where SLC gets to host one of these periods all to themselves with multiple Eagle Showdown events in one middle band.

Some of the highlights from my EagleCon experience have been the once-a-trimester events where SLC gets to host one of these periods all to themselves with multiple Eagle Showdown events in one middle band. These events have been themed and renamed to fit the time of the year. For example, in the fall trimester, we had SpookyCon (courtesy of other Community Outreach co-chair Josie, Class of 2024), where students competed in a costume contest, toilet paper wrapping, and blindfolded beverage tasting among other events. A few weeks later, we had CozyCon for the winter trimester, where students once again participated in holiday-related events such as winter-themed musical chairs and gingerbread house decorating.

For others, the ease at which you can get an announcement out for e-sports and academic teams, club-specific ones for events, and weekly
updates on EPS athletics serve as some of the highlights.

But the idea that has evolved from EagleCon, spirit points, creatively thought of by our Events Chairs, Rose (’23) and Evan (’23), is what reigns supreme. Similar to house systems across Great Britain, or maybe you just saw it in Harry Potter, grades compete to earn spirit points by attending extracurricular events such as sporting events or academic competitions, or by winning the aforementioned Eagle Showdown events. At the end of each trimester, students are awarded a class-wide prize for the grade that has the most spirit points. Similar to EagleCon, activities that are part of the weekly programming such as Eagle Showdown and spirit points demonstrate a student-driven and focused method of participation that cultivates a fresher level of Eagle culture.

At the end of each trimester, students are awarded a class-wide prize for the grade that has the most spirit points.

EagleCon, in my opinion, is the culmination of the trust and encouragement that the faculty of EPS have given the students. At EPS, we’ve always been inspired to drive our own sense of learning, chase our passions, and drive the bus of our education. EagleCon is the next step
toward building that platform for a future generation of learners. It’s where we can poll students and ask them questions about what they want most, and what we, as a community, can improve on. With important members of the faculty and community placing trust in a student-elected board such as SLC, students can provide constant feedback on the things they partake in most during their average day at EPS. I’m excited to see where these events and ideas progress in the future and the evolution of student-led middle band periods.