Story and PHOTOS by MALEAH GRIFFIN
Tiger Media Network
Student Engagement brought FHSU students a night to remember on Wednesday, hosting Grocery Bingo in the Memorial Union Ballroom. The event provided motivation for getting back into the spring semester, an opportunity to share plenty of laughs and suspense, spend time with friends, and make new connections. Student Engagement Coordinator Brett Meyer led the event with the help of about five students. Working as a team, they set up bingo and interactive games to cultivate a night of fun and prize-winning for FHSU students.
Attendees could win $3,000 worth of prizes, consisting of groceries, household items, school supplies, a few scholarships, and a grand prize of a PlayStation 5
“My favorite part was the outcome; we numbered over 300 people in attendance,” Meyer said. “We were expecting maybe 150 students, but the whole Ballroom was packed. I was really excited about that.”
The excitement was just as strong amongst eager students, filled around tables and lined in chairs, with bingo cards and dotters in hand.
The anticipation could be felt from each group of students. Hopes stood high with every call, everyone looking for their lucky turn. “BINGO!” Winning shouts came, followed by both cheers and sighs each time. The rounds were all different with creative figurations, starting with the classics, moving to a heart shape and ‘F, H, S, U,’ and ending with the elusive blackout. On top rounds of Bingo, a Rock, Paper, Scissors tournament and Karaoke took place.
A total of 16 students were randomly drawn for Rock, Paper, Scissors, thinning down to the last two, over four rounds. The process included friends cheering for whoever was drawn and contestants reacting in appropriate excited or disheartened facial expressions. A winner was determined and the last two contestants both acquired prizes in a happy conclusion.
Karaoke held even more thrill, with three impressive performances. Alexander Christensen kicked off the contest with a difficult act to follow. He sang Ryan Gosling’s “I’m Just Ken” running around the room, gesturing to the crowd and individuals, and finishing with a bang, taking a stance on top of a table. Amid the entertainment, students waved their phone flashlights and staff played their hand in as well, dimming the lights to add to the buzzing atmosphere. The end of the song was greeted with loud claps, cheers, and hollers.
“I’ve Got a Dream” from Tangled was sung next by a female student, who kept the amusement rolling with such a song choice. To finish out the intermission, Braylon Moore and Morgan Beckwith presented a duet of “Die with a Smile” by Bruno Mars, and Lady Gaga. The recently trending song was well responded to by the room full of students, as the two contestants paraded around either side of the room, until meeting together for an enthusiastic ending.
Like so many other students, Moore and Beckwith came thinking it would be a good opportunity to get together with friends and maybe win some prizes.
“We didn’t even know there would be Karaoke, but when we saw there was a signup sheet, we thought, we have to do this, it sounds so fun,” Moore said.
They weren’t expecting to be picked, but the two students and the crowd both enjoyed the fate of the duet.
“We had so much fun, even if it was a vocal cord killer,” Beckwith said.
The pair left with smiles, and prizes of a blender, and a sweatshirt and mug. The other Karaoke contestants took home prizes as well. Student Engagement addressed the crowd, asking if a winner should be picked, or if they all deserved a prize. The crowd did not hesitate to agree with all four students being awarded for their courage and performances.