For the fifth year in a row, I’ve brought a group of high schoolers from my Japanese Culture Club (formerly Anime Club) to a local comic con, Saratoga Comic Con, that is put on twice a year: once in the fall and once in the spring, and we alternate the season we attend.

There has been a cut of grant money that covers our enrichment club’s cost to attend each year for the last few years allowing the students to have the school bus and entrance fee paid for which makes it enticing to spend five hours on a Saturday to attend when their money can go toward items from the hundreds of vendors there. Undoubtedly, they’ll get hooked and another favorite part of the day is running into former students there on their own enjoying the con. A requisite picture is always taken.

This year’s trip was no different than in years past– I end up feeling an immense love toward all of the kids that attend because they are overjoyed to attend, see and take pictures with those that are cosplaying, buy items with their favorite characters, and spend time with each other. They are a solid group of awesome teens. They were screaming before they even got off the bus. I wouldn’t trade this yearly field trip for anything. My sights, eventually, with enough money, would be to get a group down to New York City for their annual con.

And as is my practice, I cosplayed a favorite character. For five years running I have been Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service, Erica Slaughter from Something is Killing the Children, red blood cell from Cells at Work, Coco from Witch Hat Atelier, and Kamala Khan aka Ms. Marvel. I’m already starting to think about next year’s outfit since it’ll be coming up in November.

I’m grateful to one of our culinary instructors, who wore a dapper Pokemon button up, and one parent for attending (as he has done in years past) to wrap our arms around our happy kids who gladly pose for a picture at the end to commemorate the day. It’s a photo I cherish each year that we do this.