Summer Fun in the Lower School: The Newman Way Field Day

On Friday, May 27, Newman’s Lower School students had a blast as they divided up into the Green and White teams to compete for their last assignment of the year: having fun. Each class was divided up into the two teams, spanning all seven grades, to work together on their last day of school to win the Spirit Stick, awarded to the team who showed the best sportsmanship on the Newman Way Field Day.

 

The Spirit Stick, new as of this year, was an award voted on by a team of judges who walked around and watched the Lower School kids during the activities. Out of the 22 total teams, 11 Green and 11 White, only one could win the Spirit Stick at the end. The fifth graders were in charge of designing and constructing a “Spirit Stick” at their recess time in the Innovation Lab. The judges picked the team based on Team Focus: the team who was most committed to their team over individual performance; Attitude: the team who remained positive regardless of winning or losing and continued to cheer teammates; and Sportsmanship: the team who displayed the best sportsmanship and respect to their teammates, teachers, coaches and opposing teams regardless of outcomes.

 

The day started off with the opening ceremony in the Palaestra, where the students got to meet their teammates and get energized for all of the activities the day would include, such a hopscotch relay race and a short obstacle course after which the kids had to pull marbles out of a tub of ice water using only their feet.

 

When the kids first got on the field, their excitement was hard to miss; cheers could be heard throughout the campus. Decked out in their team colors, many fifth graders wearing shirts signed by their friends, they cheered for each other throughout the morning. The Lower School students completed activities, danced to the Beatles and other classics, showed off their gymnastic skills, or invented some of their own cheers with their classmates.

 

There were three rounds of Tug of War (a new event this year), fifth graders on the White team versus teachers on the Green, fifth graders from the Green team versus teachers from the White team, and finally, a fifth grade battle, Green versus White. Although both teams fought hard, and every war was only narrowly won, the White team managed to pull ahead all three times.

 

During the Closing Ceremony back in the Palaestra, Coach Nelson Stewart ’95 announced the victors of Field Day. Reaching potentially harmful decibel levels in the closed gymnasium, both teams showed support for their friends and teammates. Dancing, laughing, and cheering as loud as they could, the students got ready for the big reveal. The Greenie Cup, awarded to the team with the most points at the end of the Field Day activity, was the closest it has ever been. One team scored 9 points, while the other scored 8. Coach Stewart, to bated breath and thundering feet, announced the runner-up – the White team – which of course meant that the Green team had won. He then presented the Spirit Stick for the first time ever, with the promise that the winning individual team would have its name added to the stick every year, akin to the homecoming Spirit Stick in Upper School. The tension mounted, and when Coach Stewart announced that Team Green 4 had won the Spirit Stick, the Palaestra exploded with cheers from every student, whether on the winning team or not.

 

Chanting, “Newman Way! Newman Way!” on the way down the stairs after the closing ceremony, the Lower School students showed the entire School that they are fully capable of having an exciting day full of friendly competitions while upholding the Newman core values of Honesty, Kindness, Respect, and Responsibility.