On October 25, the Muslim Student Association held their second annual Family Game Night in the SWMHS cafeteria. There was a huge turn out as students arrived with their families to spend their Friday night.

Each family was responsible for bringing a tray of food, which consisted of different kinds of delicious cuisine. The cafeteria was beautifully decorated with banners and balloons across the windows all thanks to Yusria Baig, the president of MSA.

Two board members of the Sayreville Board of Education joined the dinner that night and spoke briefly of the continuous good work the club has done so far. The environment of the event was warm and welcoming, as everyone enjoyed themselves that night.

After dinner, there was a game of trivia that was conducted by two board members, Hadia Dutt and Maryam Shahid. The game encouraged people of all ages to put their brains together to come up with answers in a fun and interactive way. To give an overview of the event, we interviewed Hadia Dutt, treasurer of the MSA club, and got her feedback:

Zenia and Muznah: What inspired the board to create this event?

Hadia: MSA has been having an annual event for the Islamic month of Ramadan every year from the past 4-5 years. The success of the event told us to collectively agree that we should have more events that allow us to get the community together more frequently in a school year

Z&M: How long did it take to plan this event?  

H: This year’s event planning started as early as August. While earlier planning just focused on ideas about theme and decor, once the school year began the board met every other week to piece all the details and formulate a master plan.

Z&M: How would you describe the event?

H: This year’s Family Game Night was a huge success. Despite hosting many previous events, this was only our second annual family game night. With last years result in mind, we were better able to perfect ourselves. Many of the students of the club were able to bring their extended families with them as well as a variety of foods and desserts. The night topped off with a trivia night that allowed each of the families to compete against each other on different Islamic topics. 

Z&M:What things would you do differently next year if given the opportunity?

H: If given the opportunity to do anything differently, we would definitely brainstorm more kid friendly ideas as younger kids tend to get bored and restless. I would also really love to be able to reach out to more freshman and bring them to more events as they are the future of our club! I hope that by seeing the energy for our events they want a reason to stay involved.

Z&M: What was your favorite part of the event?

H: The whole thing was a blast but my favorite part of the event had to be the beginning and the end. It was so heartwarming to see my fellow classmates dressed up with their families for a night of fun. We had a few activities as the night dwindled down and the ending was also one of my favorites as we all worked collaboratively to clean the cafeteria to its original state which was a great delight. To see how everyone around you can be such a big help and how they genuinely want to be part of the community. I hope that we continue to have such successful events and the many new students that join us enjoy our events!