On Thursday evening, the scent of butter filled the air, and stray kernels dotted the ground. This wasn’t a movie theater after a busy night—it was the senior patio, home to one unusual delivery, a giant trash bag stuffed to the brim with popcorn. 

“All of us seniors sit out on the patio, so we thought it would be fun to have a mini celebration for the class,” senior Kylie McCranie said. “And honestly, it was just kind of funny to walk into school with a giant bag.”

But the popcorn didn’t appear from thin air; instead, students had earned it. The night before, students had been volunteering at Bill Brown Elementary’s 4th annual Fall Festival.

“We were in charge of the concession stand, selling water, cotton candy and popcorn,” senior Marisol Aguilar said. “It was fun to help out, see the kids’ reactions and be part of the festival for a night.

By the end of the festival, Aguilar had noticed that there was an excess of popcorn and cotton candy, and, with her class in mind, she decided to ask if she could take some with her.

“They told us we could take anything we wanted, so we grabbed as much as we could carry,” says Aguilar.

However it wasn’t just the senior class that felt the love; sophomore Aiyanah Payton was also lending a hand that night, and was rewarded with a sweet treat.

“It felt good, we volunteered for a long time and that was a nice reward to get,” Payton said.

Back on campus, sharing the haul turned into a spontaneous celebration where seniors gathered, solo cup and coffee filters in hand, to scoop out their share. What started as volunteering at a local festival became a simple moment of fun, laughter and community—proving that sometimes the smallest gestures, even a giant bag, can create lasting memories.