The Alternative Choices in Education held an annual Chili Fest in the Martin Luther King Jr. Room on Thursday, April 7, during first and second lunch.

According to ACE Program Coordinator Amy Bayer, the Chili Fest helps fund scholarships for seniors and a senior trip, this year senior will go to Provincetown in Cape Cod. Bayer said that the tradition was left over from the Opportunity for Change program.

“We tried to keep the OFC tradition going because it’s still a program and we still have seniors who want to go on a senior trip,” Bayer said.

According to Bayer, there are nine different chilis to sample. Diners are encouraged to vote on their favorite and the winner will receive a chili bowl trophy.

“One important thing to say is that in the past we have solicitated the chilis from our faculty in the building. Because of the contract negotiations we did not ask the faculty to donate chilis, we reached out to our families and our families and students cooked all the chili for today, so it’s exciting,” Bayer said. “It’s a competition, we have 9 chilis, we don’t put who made them, they’re all different kinds of chilis, and we ask people to sample them and vote on the little ballots on the table.”

According to senior Aileen Oliva, the significance of the Chili Fest is that it helps to pay for this year’s trip.

“The money that people donate and that we receive through the tickets that people buy goes towards our senior field trip, and it means a lot because we all go as a community,” Oliva said.

Bayer said that the group plans to rent cottages, explore Provincetown, and go mini golfing and swimming during the trip.

Oliva said that she is looking forward to the trip.
“I’m excited to go on a trip with all my friends and classmates because we’re all one big family and get along,” Oliva said.