BY HILLARY VIDERS
SPECIAL TO NORTHERN VALLEY PRESS
TENAFLY, N.J.—On March 1, the Tenafly High School hosted a panorama of competitive activities in its 40th annual Olympics.
In this long standing tradition, students in each grade wear their team’s color—green for freshmen, red for sophomores, yellow for juniors and blue for seniors—and compete against the other grades in a wide variety of academic, artistic, athletic and fun activities.
It is a day that combines the excitement of an all-star game and color war, and gives each student the opportunity to put their best skills into play.
After reporting to homeroom, each team entered the school gymnasium with great fanfare and headed to their assigned stadium seats.
The gym was soon awash in color with team flags and banners waving, balloons flying and gigantic signs posted overhead. Students draped themselves in strands of beads and wore everything from comical head bands and hats to metallic shorts and oversized sunglasses. Throughout the room, there was a smattering of faces painted with team colors.
At 10 a.m., Tenafly High School Principal James Morrison welcomed everyone. Joining him in the gymnasium were past Principals Charlie Wilson, who started the THS Olympics in 2008, and Dora Kontogiannis and past Vice Principal Ella Urdang (who later served as Tenafly’s Smith School Principal).
“This is a wonderful event!” Morrison declared. “It brings the whole school together, and even though it is competitive, there is a great camaraderie among the students.”
Wilson added, “This is so much fun for everyone, both students and teachers, and it has really grown.”
The first year, we had only 26 events and now there are over 100!”
True to the spirit of the Olympic Games, there was an Olympic torch. It was lowered from the ceiling and lit by the school mascot dressed in a tiger costume.
After the Tenafly High School band played the school’s alma mater, a team of student announcers took to the microphone, and the games began. Members of each team were fast and furious as they competed in a crazy obstacle course, then a three legged race, a tug of war, a water bottle flip and a basketball knock out.
Even the teachers got into the act, dashing through a hilarious relay race and then a water balloon toss that left them with soaking wet faces as students in the bleachers roared with laughter.
Throughout the day, there was a constant array of sports competitions as well as academic, creative and fun contests, with a total of 113 activities.
Throughout the day, there was a continuous schedule of events. Sports fans competed in basketball, floor hockey, dodgeball, volleyball, tennis, kickball, lacrosse, bowling, spike ball, ultimate Frisbee, hula hoop and golf putting.
Music mavens excelled in activities such as the alma mater acapella contest, class song, classical music, “Guitar Hero” and “Guess That Tune.”
The artistic students kept busy with a graphic design logo competition, origami, straw architecture, photography, paper airplane making, photography, “Art Happening,” and tee shirt design.
A number of competitions were just a barrel of fun, like hula hoop, karaoke, limbo dancing, musical chairs, bubble gum Blowing, bean bag toss, pie eating, charades, and “Simon Says.”
There were plenty of academic challenges as well, including a quiz bowl, Scrabble, puzzle making, Sudoku, “Minute to Win It,” checkers, chess, and a trivia scavenger hunt.
Kudos for organizing and running the Olympics so smoothly should be given to Leigh Barker, the head faculty advisor. Other olympic advisors in this year’s event were Tara Haggerty and Alex McKinnon. Assisting this core group was a host of class advisors and officers and student chairs, Rosie Kang, Jason Park, Anne Rafferty and Kaitlyn Yeh and the many student volunteers.
By 4 p.m. the Olympics was over, but the day will likely long be remembered.