On Thursday, Sept. 5, ETHS held its annual Kits, Cats, and Kids Block Party at Lazier Field. The block party celebrated the longtime partnership between ETHS, Northwestern University and District 65, and featured various forms of entertainment and food.

Local organizations, such as the Evanston Police Department and Y.O.U, had booths lined along the fence of Lazier Field. Each booth offered various activities for the block party’s younger attendees, such as Mario Kart, face painting and bouncy houses. 

The block party was organized primarily by Rebekah Sigman, Assistant Director of Community Relations at Northwestern University, and Kristen Perkins, Partnership Coordinator for NU and ETHS. According to Sigman, the purpose and beauty of the block party is its partnership between NU, District 65 and ETHS.

“Our job is to make connections between the university and the high school. When we talk about the block party, we say that it’s powered by Northwestern, but it’s really a collaboration between Northwestern, the City of Evanston, District 65 and ETHS,” Perkins explained. 

For Sigman, it’s a quite valuable experience to be able to organize Kits, Cats, & Kids for the community. 

“It is incredibly rewarding to have a hand in providing this event to our families and youth and see them enjoy themselves as the school year kicks into full swing,” Sigman said. “I love this event and the group of the people that come together to plan it.” 

Many students came to the block party to explore ETHS’s clubs and organizations, such as HOSA, Black Men Lead, ETHS Pomkits and WiSTEM. According to Sigman, it’s an opportunity for younger children to engage with Evanston’s organizations.

“I was here last year, and it was a good time; I got to see some of the new clubs that I didn’t know about before,” recalled Cross Mitchell, a junior at ETHS.

Like many other attendees, Perkins’s favorite part of the block party is the feeling of unity. 

 “Every year, I love the energy that is in the air,” Perkins said. “ETHS is [really] the heart of the community. It’s become this amazing community event that has this really good energy for folks to just come out and enjoy being together.”