The gray clouds loomed overhead and the sky threatened to burst, but the crowd of approximately 1,000 students waited earnestly outside, chatting amongst one another. Thursday, May 22, 2003 was field day and each student from grades K-12, gathered on the Martinsville campus to enjoy a day of activities – relay races, competitions, a barbecue, and of course, lots of fun.
The morning began questionably, as rain drizzled from above. It was undecided whether the normally outdoor event would pan out as anticipated. Nevertheless, the Upper and Middle School students were grouped together on the football field. There was a burst of cheer and applause as the Lower School students departed from their buses to join their peers on the moist field. Following their arrival, Adam Rohdie, assistant headmaster and Upper School director, shouted out instructions on how the students should gather together. Looking upwards towards the photographers positioned above the bleachers, the group of anxious youths smiled for what would mark the second all-school photo.
The rain would prove to be ineffective in dampening the spirits, as both indoor and outside activities were equally enjoyed. Older students were paired with younger ones to partake in an array of wacky activities. In one event, titled, “Marble Madness,” students on three teams relay raced to the pool, one by one, and picked up as many marbles with their foot as possible before placing them into a bucket. The team with the most marbles won the game. Another equally exciting race, “Statue of Liberty,” had students racing against one another with a ball on top of a plunger or cone. Similarly, “Spoon Race” positioned a team of three racing against one another with a potato on their spoon, transferring it to each person on their team. Favorable to the Lower School students was the excitement of the “Tootsie Roll Hunt,” in which they had to search for the hidden candy – a most rewarding treat. Rain or shine, field day is the one day in the year in which the Pingry community experiences together and always remembers.
© 2003 The Pingry School |
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