Faculty members, staff and a collection of students gathered last Thursday for the annual end of the spring semester faculty picnic.

The culinary arts department provided personal pizzas and Loaded Chicken of Richmond brought flavorful loaded chicken sandwiches or their loaded fries which had all the works.

The wait for the food was somewhat daunting, with attendees waiting between 20-40 minutes for their orders to be completed.

Even with the long wait, people kept their patience and used the opportunity to mingle with co-workers who rarely get to see each other.

CCC Interim Vice President Carsbia Anderson and Director of Marketing and Design Brandy Howard were handing gift bags containing T-shirts with the Contra Costa College logo on them. The bags also included coffee mugs and writing journals with pens.

This was the first time administrators approved the closing of some campus offices to provide a more inclusive and accessible picnic for faculty.

There was a variety of music and supersized games offered as well. Attendees were invited to kick around a jumbo soccer ball on the open football field. There was also a jumbo sized connect four and other fun games.

There were colorful flowers placed on all the tables to add a vibrant spring feel to the event.

Attendees were encouraged to sign in upon arrival in order to receive a raffle ticket which provided access to either choice of food and a potential prize.

The raffle consisted of prizes like gift cards from Amazon and Starbucks.

Event planners also gave away a Bluetooth speaker and portable charger.

The gathering offered program directors the chance to reflect with each other about campus successes and things that can be improved.

For Sparkpoint coordinator Bill Bankhead, one his favorite moments during the spring semester was the success of the free tax program.

“Eighty percent of students have seen measurable financial improvement with the help of that program,” Bankhead said.

“This picnic helps strengthen relationships between faculty and helps us conversate with different departments and build connections,” Bankhead said.

For Anderson, the picnic is considered a celebration for the college community.

“I like that it gets all faculty involved and it’s also a celebration of 70 years of CCC being a campus,” Anderson said.

Campuswide tutoring coordinator Brandy Gibson said she likes the end of spring semester picnic because it provides a way for everyone to come and celebrate the success and get ready for the graduation.

Thankfully toward the end of the picnic the sun came out to shine and the wind calmed down. That made the picnic more enjoyable.