Monta Vista Leadership held its first ever Munch Madness event from March 25 to March 28 during brunch. The event paired students from different grades in a bracket-style match, where each round featured a different food item, starting with baby carrots and ending with a spicy challenge of two packets of Buldak Ramen. They were competing to eat food, where the first person to finish the meal was declared the winter of the round.
Spectators submitted bracket predictions, where they could predict the winner of each round. Those with accurate brackets won prizes including a six-pack of Crumbl cookies and $20 gift cards. Tournament winners received front of the line cafeteria passes and a $20 DoorDash gift card.
Leadership executive and senior Siyona Kathuria explains how several factors had to be considered when deciding how the event would be set up. One of the main challenges leadership had to tackle was figuring out how to get students willing to participate.
“Most of the planning was trying to get people to actually join and be competitors in our Munch Madness,” Kathuria said. “And then logistically, how we were getting all the food to school that day. We also implemented a bracket system. That way, more of the student body could participate, and it was more open to everyone and accessible.”Kathuria mentioned how leadership also had to choose foods that would not only work logistically, but would also keep the tournament fun and engaging. She explains how they took inspiration from other food competitions and current trends.
“We decided these foods by looking at past competitions, and we saw a lot of hot dog competitions come up,” Kathuria said. “We also thought slurpees would be a good idea, because it was a change in just eating, instead, drinking something really cold. We bought ramen as well, just because it’s something that’s kind of trending right now. We also thought the spice would add another factor to it and make it harder to eat.”
Before the event, leadership gathered and prepared the foods for each match. While some items, such as the carrots and slurpees, were brought in advance, others were made fresh the day of by the executive team. Kathuria believes the event was successful for its initial introduction. The event also marked a shift in the types of student activities typically held by leadership, offering new ways for students to get engaged with school spirit.
“Historically, we only really put on dances or spirit days, so this was definitely a change in the type of events that we hold,” Kathuria said. “It was also very engaging. Every time I looked down to the brick, there would always be a lot of people that were watching and cheering. That was also definitely a really good factor, and it was just an event that was visually pleasing for everyone to watch.”
