Stuyvesant Big Sib Chairs Host Big Sib-Little Sib Dance

Motivated by the golden opportunity to pie their Big Sib in the face, Stuyvesant’s Little Sibs streamed into the cafeteria on May 2 for the annual Big-Sib Little Sib Dance. The vibrantly decorated space and array of food set the mood for the exciting evening that was to come. Greeted by a wide variety of activities—from face paint stands to the dance floor—this party fostered new friendships with fun competition. Nothing brought the Big Sib-Little Sib dynamic closer than passing under the Limbo stick together and bending back with each other. 

There were a variety of events and activities for people to enjoy. “It was an event where Big Sibs and Little Sibs got to connect. We had food, rochambeau, pies, Jenga, and more,” junior and Big Sib Chair Izo Kawaguchi said. 

The planning for this event was intense and involved coordination with advisors. It started in the fall, as per expectations, but the official date and confirmation took time due to a busy schedule for cafeteria availability. “It was held inside the school, so we needed a lot of communication with faculty to get the event run. The dance is typically held indoors during the fall, […] but due to the cafeteria being booked, […] now we are in May, so it was a little busy this year,” senior and Big Sib Chair Munem Tajwar said.

There was also thorough planning for the logistics during the event, which involved dividing responsibilities among Big Sibs. “Trying to figure out what Big Sibs would be willing to bring; […] if they were willing to run activities; […] who was willing to DJ? Shoutout to Andy Glick,” Tajwar said. 

Two classes of Big Sib Chairs helped plan this event: the current seniors and the current juniors. “This year, it was more of our creative input while the [Class of] ‘25 chairs took care of spreadsheets and logistics,” junior and Big Sib Chair Max Abraham said. It took a lot of teamwork and understanding between these student leaders, but together they ensured this event went well.

The planning of this event also allowed for a smooth transition and bonding among the Big Sib Chairs, preparing the Class of 2026 Chairs for future events. “We wanted to form a connection with the next year’s Big Sib Chairs to smoothen the transition,” Tajwar said. 

Students at the dance enjoyed talking with their Big Sibs and getting to know each other. Big Sibs were able to give advice to their underclassmen and learn about their experiences at Stuy so far. “The dance was really [nice]. They had a lot of food, and there were a lot of people that attended. It was really enjoyable. I got to talk to my Big Sibs and those conversations were a lot of fun,” freshman and Little Sib Meshkat Ahmed said. 

The Big Sib Chairs tried to incentivize attendance from all Little Sibs by providing food at the dance. “We wanted stuff that would actually get people to come to the dance, so at the last minute we decided to make it mandatory for every Big Sib to get some sort of food item for the dance—a potluck almost. We wanted it to be something that everyone could enjoy, even for less outgoing Little Sibs, and we thought that would be food,” junior and Big Sib Chair Ellie Mak said.

There was also a thorough advertising process using social media in order to boost attendance for the event. “For advertising, we used platforms, the freshman Instagram, and faculty advisors. The faculty was in the process the whole time; […] we couldn’t do it without them,” Abraham said.

In order to boost turnout, the idea of getting a chance to spend time with Big Sibs and friends was also at the forefront. “We knew that if Big Sibs were going, some of the Little Sibs would come as well. We were also sure to tell them about the different events that were present at this event,” Abraham said.

One way the Big Sib Chairs ensured the event ran smoothly was by getting Big Sibs to help volunteer for the activities planned. “At first, we were all wondering about who was going to set up the limbo, or if the [Big Sib] Chairs would have to do it, and if we’d have time to do it. We ended up sending out a spreadsheet for people to sign up, and it ended up working out because everyone who volunteered was really helpful despite volunteering not being enforced,”  Mak said.

Many attendees also enjoyed the event, with some even being surprised at how well the event went. “I was really surprised by how organized it was […] It seemed that all the Big Sibs were really excited about it,” freshman and Little Sib Gianna Guenther said.

The activities that the Big Sibs had planned were also successful. “There was face painting, and that was really fun. Pie-ing our Big Sibs was also really great too,” Ahmed said. 

However, many students thought there should have been more activities to do at the event. The lack of activities in the beginning led to a slow start. “It was kind of boring for the first hour because no one did anything but stand around and talk. There could be more activities and stations in the future,” Ahmed said. 

The lively environment also took some time to develop once the event got started. Eventually though, the dance kicked off after a while. “Once everyone was there, [the] Big Sibs found their role […] and once limbo was going; it really started to get busy. There wasn’t a division between Little Sibs and Big Sibs,” Abraham said.

Many felt that the energy was amplified due to the get-together and informal nature of the dance. “The energy was extremely energetic. A big part of that was the Big Sibs who brought the energy and encouraged their Little Sibs to dance,” Kawaguchi said.

Despite the positive energy, some event-goers did concede that the dance floor needed a bit more energy, especially from the Little Sibs. “A lot of the Little Sibs were shyer, especially with the dance floor. If they could encourage people to be more active on the dance floor […] our homeroom could have done a better job at advertising,” junior and Big Sib Olivia Cisse said. Advertising on a more small-scale level also seems like something that event goers and contributors believe could be worked on for next time.

The Chairs have already begun strategizing about how to promote future events and connection between Big Sibs and Little Sibs. “I think we could advertise the dance differently because there was more than dancing. We had games like limbo, the rock paper scissors competition with the bead necklaces, so maybe advertising it as a party might have been better because some people dislike dances,” Mak said. “We also really want to encourage more Big Sib-Little Sib interaction because it felt like there wasn’t a lot of that at the dance. Maybe having a brief meeting with Big Sibs before the dance to set expectations would have helped.”

Such simple changes could even be as trivial as the replacement of materials for the all-too-popular event of seeing Big Sibs getting pied. “Next year we need to use shaving cream, because if you don’t get the pie cream off it starts to stink,” Kawaguchi said. On top of taking advice from students, the next edition of the event will include some practical changes.

The Big Sib Chairs noticed that some activities were more popular than others and are planning how to optimize these events while maintaining high attendance. “I think getting pied in the face [is the most popular]. I think there are people who came to see that, and they had a great time, but then said, ‘I am going to leave after this point.’ After someone got pied, a lot of people started to leave; in the future, we might start to do this at the end of the dance,” Abraham said. 

In the end, many freshmen shared many laughs and memories, finding it a great way to connect with other people in the Stuy community. “I would definitely attend this event in the future. I would love to meet more new people and become closer to my Big Sibs,” Ahmed said. 

There was a lot of excitement circling around the event and a bright outlook for the future. “I want to thank the Big Sibs, and it was a blast. I can’t wait till Field Day,” Kawaguchi said. 

Despite a relatively slow start, the dance was made a success through collective effort and exemplified the familial nature of Stuyvesant’s Big Sibs and Little Sibs. “The dance wasn’t just organized by the Chairs; it was organized by all the Big Sibs who showed up and every Big Sib that helped a freshman feel welcome at the dance,” Tajwar said. “I’m hoping that the new chairs and my current chairs can work together to create a long-lasting experience for all these freshmen in the last few months of school.”