It all started in true Kungsholmen fashion. Misinformation, disorientation and general confusion. Unsuspecting as we were, newbie first-graders, we headed to the event, not quite knowing what to expect.
After a brief introduction, a wild game of strategy and… well, chaos, ensued. Having survived the Carneval and the notorious Smiska Fisk tournament, nothing less could be expected of the refreshingly daring Student Union. We think there were some kind of rules in place, but the disorder that followed quickly proved us wrong. More specifically; ‘Capture the Flag’ involved dustbins, benches and anything at hand being used as shields, protecting the screaming students of our school. Socks could be seen flying across the corridors as frowning teachers watched helplessly. It was almost like a rite of passage for the uninitiated first-graders, crawling out of their skins, becoming fully-fledged Kungsholmers. There was no lack of fun in this glamorised version of tag.
Eventually, and perhaps inevitably, the Sock War came to an end. At this point, we were divided into four groups and sent to different classrooms, where members of the Board of the Student Union awaited. It turned out that the whole point of the Kick Off was to introduce us to the internal organs and mechanisms of the Union, and to inform us about how we can participate. The leaders were engaging, and seamlessly managed to strike the right balance of atmospheres; ranging from the calm, candle-lit and O’boy-infused to awkward yet jovial discussions and wacky (Samurai?) games that never cease to surprise us.
One or two inspirational-esque speeches were made, highlighting the importance of a social life as well as academic pursuit in KG, and the possibility of realising this through the student-run Union. However, despite their best attempts, the crowd thinned out, no doubt due to the temptations of the Friday afternoon coupled with diminishing attention spans. In summary, the basic message of this informative event was: If you want something done in the school; a new event, changes to the school food, whatever it may be (including the ever-popular ‘more sofas in the corridors’ suggestion), go to the Student Union!
Interesting as it was, at this time of year, the concept of fun seems increasingly distant, as the teachers bombard us with heaps of assignments and tests. For some (EN1s/N1s!), freakishly demanding National Tests linger on the horizon, and we all descend into what is best described as a state of hibernation (except we don’t sleep, we study). Wishing not to end on a depressing note, we guess that we just summed up why the Union does what it does—to prevent us from going insane, by hosting insane events… hmm. Whatever, keep it coming!