Grade 9 and 12 IBT students spent October 7th, 2025, together in the cafeteria for a fun and interactive event. Joel Hilchey, a keynote speaker and entertainer, spent the day telling stories, sharing advice, and performing unexpected stunts to keep everyone on their toes.
In the morning, just the grade 12 mentors gathered to hear Hilchey share his powerful lessons. He started by asking everyone to tie an Icebreaker candy to a string and observe it as it swung. Then, the Icebreaker began to move in the direction that he said, with nothing touching it! This was a cool way to teach students how our minds can influence our actions and perceptions. The morning continued with similar fun and insightful lessons.
After lunch, the grade 9s joined in. After finding their mentors and doing some get-to-know-each-other activities, Hilchey surprised everyone. He began juggling with some balls he brought with him, starting with three, but continued to add more until he had seven.
“I thought he would stop at five, but he just kept going!” said Sanjam Sahni, a grade 12 IBT mentor. He did a great job keeping the suspense up and involving the crowd to keep everyone engaged. Balls weren’t enough, though, so Joel pulled out mousetraps on sticks and began juggling those. The cafeteria erupted with applause, everyone in shock. “It was crazy!” said Oscar Tang, a grade 9 IBT mentee.
Hilchey also shared how he doesn’t believe in the idea of “fake it till you make it,” explaining that success doesn’t come from pretending; it comes from actually learning and improving until you don’t have to “fake it” anymore. Sharing his own life story of being an engineer, then a professor, and now a speaker and entertainer, Hilchey reminded students that nobody has a straightforward path.
Then, it was back to mousetraps. He called up a student from the audience to place their hand on an armed mousetrap. She was nervous but trusted him. Hilchey instructed her to lift her hand off as fast as possible and promised she wouldn’t get hurt. With everyone watching, she pulled it off and left unscathed!
For the grand finale, Hilchey pulled out a huge balloon and explained that he would be going inside it. He played some music and started bouncing it around, then went in headfirst! Slowly but surely, he slipped inside and jumped around. The cafeteria was full of laughter. Eventually, he stuck his head out and finally popped it, leaving the remains of the balloon like a cape around his neck.
Overall, this event was filled with moments of learning, laughter, and excitement. IBT students like Tang are already looking forward to the next event in December.
THE NORTH STAR 