As the auditorium filled with AHS athletes and parents, it became obvious that the March 7 winter sports banquet was easily one of the most packed ceremonies the school has held within recent memory.

“We received rave reviews,” Assistant Athletic Director Dick Adams said.

The annual awards ceremony began with a potluck dinner in the cafeteria, marking what many people cited as the reason for such a large number of attendees.

“The attendance was high, probably due to the amount of food,” Adams said.

“I really liked that it was a large potluck, which brought all the winter sports teams together,” senior Paul Singh said.

“Everyone got to hear the accomplishments of all the teams and everyone was really energetic; it felt like a pep rally,” Adams said. “But when Mr. Kearns asked them to get quiet, they did.”

After the group portion of the awards ceremony, at which Atomic Achievement award winners were announced and coaches got the opportunity to summarize their respective seasons, the teams split up for their own individual ceremonies. There the teams handed out awards and, in some cases, watched end-of-year videos to reminisce about their seasons.

“I liked the [swim & dive] slideshow because it brought back a lot of memories,” senior Bernard Chalhub-Frau said. “My favorite part was the baby pictures; except I forgot to turn mine in, but it’s too late to apologize.”

“My favorite part was the paper plate awards, even though I didn’t get one,” junior Meghan Lynn said.

“It was the best awards banquet that we have had in my 44 years here,” Adams said.