Barely able to hold back, Chase Dai eagerly waited at the mouth of the Eagle’s helmet for his swim team to be called out. The moment the announcer called their name, Dai sprinted out of the Eagle’s mouth with the rest of the swim team catching up behind him.

Not even five seconds later, Dai started to lose his balance, causing his shoe to fly into the air, landing on the ground behind him soon after Dai himself. His teammates ran past him, barely able to contain their laughter as Dai ran back to grab his shoe before proudly limp-sprinting off the football field with one shoe on.

“We all knew he was going to trip from the beginning,” RHS swim team member Megan Tu said. “But seeing it actually happen was really funny.”

This successful four-hour event was only possible with the time and dedication of the Back to School Picnic Chair and Spirit Coordinator for Richardson HS PTA, Kandi Koch.

“I used my lunch hours to plan and prepare, worked at night to correspond, etc,” Koch said. “I relied on my parent friends and RHS staff in various groups [that I have helped out in the past] to help me execute a successful picnic.”

The preparation of the picnic was done almost a month prior though Koch said a lot couldn’t be completed until after the start of school.

“The hardest part about preparing for this picnic was the time frame since it’s usually held the 2nd week of school,” Koch said. “There is a lot of preparation and getting back into the routine of school days is challenging.”

Being an alum of RHS herself, Koch felt inspired by that to prepare for this picnic.

“This is one of my favorite of many traditions here at RHS,” Koch said

From creating a signup genius to organize the donations to sending out a google form asking clubs and organizations if they would like to perform, have a table/booth, or be recognized and run throughout the helmet, these were not the only things that Koch had to organize.

“The emcee’s script, the order of presenting the teams/clubs, and outlining the performances were some of the things that required my attention,” Koch said. “Also coordinating the sound system and sound booth in the press box.”

During the picnic, more clubs and organizations showed up than expected, resulting with not enough tables being set up prior to the picnic.

“It meant more clubs/organizations showed up than the ones who filled out the registration form [which is great],” Koch said. “More tables were brought out by the building maintenance crew.”

Health Occupations Students of America, HOSA, the second biggest club in RHS, was one of the clubs that was recognized and ran through the Eagle’s helmet during the picnic.

“I felt such pride and excitement to be an eagle while running across the football field,” HOSA member Dominic McDermott said.

Despite some miscommunication problems regarding the sound system and not receiving some emails that would’ve made the picnic run smoother, Koch said the picnic was a success as she was able to solve these problems.

“There seemed to be enough food and the performances were great,” Koch said. “We also ended up with a few sponsors which were fabulous!”

While this picnic was a success for everyone, there were some things that Koch thought could’ve gone differently.

“I think other groups should help and be involved in the process such as the Athletic Booster Club, GEB, and have more sponsors attend the event,” Koch said.

Being a single mother of a sophomore at RHS and working full time, Koch said she was able to balance it all out with the help of others and manage her time in order to make the picnic successful.

“The best part about this job is the wonderful turnout we had,” Koch said. “Along with seeing so many smiles on everyone’s faces.”