Gallery: Middle School Activity Night a Hit with St. Michael-Albertville Kids

One of the many great things about being a middle schooler here in St. Michael-Albertville, is Activity Night. Twice a year, both East and West Middle Schools combine their students and host a night of fun at Middle School East. One only needs to step inside the doors and you can feel the energy of hundreds of kids, having a blast, in their school!

They split the school into fifth and sixth graders one night (set for April 15), and seventh and eighth graders another night – each grade pair gets a fall and spring Activity Night. Friday, March 25, was for the "older" kids.

If you like to log-in for your fun, the computer lab is open for students. They can play games at pre-approved websites and educational sites. Hard at work in the front row, 7th graders Hunter Hansen and Jack McGowan were busy playing RUN on a school approved website. Asked if they would join in the other rooms, they replied, “Yah, we’ll go check out some music later, you know, talk to people.”

Want something a little more competitive? Students can join in the all school dodge ball tournament in the gym. Later, the gym would be filled with kids shooting hoops free-throw style or in loose games of three on three or HORSE.

Eighth-grader Jared Heinen and seventh-grader Carter Smith were in a spirited game of basketball when stopped and asked why they come to Activity Night.

“I like it all, but mostly I like the basketball. I will probably go check out the other stuff though, you know, if there’s time," Jared said.

Feel like dancing? Head into the cafeteria where the largest crowd of kids has gathered as they shake their "groove thing" to their favorite music. Strobe lights and thumping bass permeate the air. A popular song comes on and the kids all spontaneously form dance lines and collectively dance the latest moves.

Want to be graded on your dancing? Then head to the Wii room and try your hand at Wii Just Dance 2. Friendly teacher volunteers hang out nearby to play board games, ping pong or Wii duels.

Got a sweet tooth? Down the hall is the perennial favorite of BINGO – and the prize is just what most tweens enjoy – candy!

Need to cool off? For the first two hours the pool was open for swimming and diving fun and games.

Still not enough? For those looking for yet another venue in which to burn off energy - how about a little jousting in the inflatable joust pit? Each participant wears a helmet – and jousts with a 6 foot inflatable joust pole. Even the teachers got into the fun. Jeanette Ende and Kim Horning battled each other with Jeanette coming out victorious – only because “she was taller!” cried Horning.

All this make you hungry? Parent volunteers are manning the concession stand with pizza and tween friendly food available for purchase.

The icing on the cake for the night? For a reduced admission price, students could donate food to the Hanover Food Shelf – always a worthy cause. An unofficial estimate looked to be about 500 pounds.

Kids were eager to share what brings them out to Activity Night.

“Well we like to dance, then eat pizza, then dance more. Then we have a big sleepover later – it’s the best night!”

“I just like hanging out with my friends, you know, chilling…”

“It’s better than doing homework on a Friday night…”

Everywhere kids sit and eat and laugh in little groups of friends, enjoying the night, mugging for the camera and having fun. Teachers and parent volunteers mill around although the students remain well behaved and orderly. The count for the night sat around 525 students attending – which out of the 800 possible – means Activity Night is a popular night.