NewsUpper SchoolStudent Life
First assignment: egg tossing
Aug 23, 2004 8:00 AM
By Blythe Erlandson - FF/S
You might not have seen Tim Duncan or Michael Phelps, but Olympians were at Darlington School on Sunday (Aug. 15).
They were part of the School's fifth annual House Olympics, where the six boys and girls' houses pair off and compete in games.
All evening, house members lined the bleachers, chanting and stomping for their teams, giving the House Olympics the feel of a playoff game during football season.
But the games weren't just about competition; they also were to acquaint students with one another and teach them to work together and form bonds, said James Hutchinson, Middle School science teacher.
"It's a way to get incoming freshmen to relax, have fun ... and get to know people," said Hutchinson.
Representing Blaylock, Erlandson, Milford - the girls' dorms - Bergen, Barnes and Inman Houses - the boys' dorms - high schoolers were teamed with an opposite sex's dorm, and competed in such things as the egg toss, volleyball handoff and "Dizzy Lizzy," where students put their foreheads to aluminum bats kept on the ground, twirl and then try to run a race.
"It's just a bunch of silly games," said Casey Zimmer, director of admissions. "But it makes for team-building with all our new students that have just arrived."
Not only do the games help new students, but Sam Wilson, a senior, believes it helps those students returning to Darlington.
"It's good for kids just getting back to see everybody," he said.
Many new students are from foreign countries, making the games even more important, Hutchinson said.
"We have kids from 25 countries, so you have to be conscious of that as a faculty," he said. "And part of our job is to make them feel welcome."
Lillie Arnaout of North Carolina said the Olympics help her family. "My son, Jamal Ibrahim, is from Saudi Arabia. This is his second time, but after his first time, I could feel his confidence had increased."
For Venezuela native Luis Celis, a junior, the games are about fun. "This is my first time," he said. "I'm not nervous ... I'm happy."
With classes officially beginning [Monday, Aug. 16], Zimmer said, the festivities serve another purpose. "Maybe they'll burn off some of that excess energey before school starts," he joked.
*Written by Matt Tuck, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer, published 8/16/04
They were part of the School's fifth annual House Olympics, where the six boys and girls' houses pair off and compete in games.
All evening, house members lined the bleachers, chanting and stomping for their teams, giving the House Olympics the feel of a playoff game during football season.
But the games weren't just about competition; they also were to acquaint students with one another and teach them to work together and form bonds, said James Hutchinson, Middle School science teacher.
"It's a way to get incoming freshmen to relax, have fun ... and get to know people," said Hutchinson.
Representing Blaylock, Erlandson, Milford - the girls' dorms - Bergen, Barnes and Inman Houses - the boys' dorms - high schoolers were teamed with an opposite sex's dorm, and competed in such things as the egg toss, volleyball handoff and "Dizzy Lizzy," where students put their foreheads to aluminum bats kept on the ground, twirl and then try to run a race.
"It's just a bunch of silly games," said Casey Zimmer, director of admissions. "But it makes for team-building with all our new students that have just arrived."
Not only do the games help new students, but Sam Wilson, a senior, believes it helps those students returning to Darlington.
"It's good for kids just getting back to see everybody," he said.
Many new students are from foreign countries, making the games even more important, Hutchinson said.
"We have kids from 25 countries, so you have to be conscious of that as a faculty," he said. "And part of our job is to make them feel welcome."
Lillie Arnaout of North Carolina said the Olympics help her family. "My son, Jamal Ibrahim, is from Saudi Arabia. This is his second time, but after his first time, I could feel his confidence had increased."
For Venezuela native Luis Celis, a junior, the games are about fun. "This is my first time," he said. "I'm not nervous ... I'm happy."
With classes officially beginning [Monday, Aug. 16], Zimmer said, the festivities serve another purpose. "Maybe they'll burn off some of that excess energey before school starts," he joked.
*Written by Matt Tuck, Rome News-Tribune Staff Writer, published 8/16/04
