Imagine a walk through the campus. You see the same buildings, trees, turtle sculpture and wayward squirrels that you see everyday.

But, looking up into the sky, you see colorful hot air balloons. Streamers and banners proclaim that this is “De Anza Day,” a celebration of the fruits of academic excellence and community involvement.

With summer fast approaching and the new academic quarter on all our minds, now is as good as a time as any to bring back De Anza Day. Students and faculty need and deserve an opportunity to come together, if for no other reason than the fabled school spirit that we used to hear about in high school.

Imagine all the things it could be:Musicians play and children climb on fire trucks. Alumni, staff, students and administrators band together.

The sweet smell of fried food wafts into the air, dancing a waltz of pride and content with your senses, nay, your very soul. Various departments have tables showcasing the fruit of students’ hard work and dedication in all fields of study: arts, languages, math and science.

This is a festival – a day in which we celebrate everything that is good and right at De Anza College, from our rich history to our generous community involvement and support.

De Anza serves a diverse student body with different needs and goals. Some students are part time; others are involved with various extracurricular activities on and off campus.

Students from various cultural and global backgrounds take classes together and participate in clubs and campus organizations. But for the uninvolved student, De Anza can become a daily slog through tests, traffic and homework.

In the past, De Anza held an annual De Anza Day as a way to bring all students together. Unfortunately, for various circumstances, De Anza Day and other similar activities have fallen by the wayside in recent years as other priorities have superseded them in attention and perceived importance.

The importance of having fun activities for the entire De Anza student body is in encouraging an environment where students feel like they are part of a community. The clubs, teams and organizations are great but they tend to create smaller subgroups that join together not necessarily as De Anza students, but as individuals united by a common interest or cause.

Nearly all college campuses host special events for alumni and current students to come together in celebration of their school. Why don’t we do the same?