North Phoenix Prep Field Day Brings Fun, Competition, and Community Building
North Phoenix Prep November 12, 2024 -
At North Phoenix Prep, Field Day is an event that brings together students, teachers, and parents for a day filled with competition and connection. Middle school and high school students compete in a variety of team games, earning prizes, and team spirit.
“We run it twice a year in the fall and in the spring,” explained Sarah Schripsema, Assistant Headmaster and Faculty Advisor for the student led event. “It’s an opportunity for all of our students to get out and compete against each other in a lot of different games.”
Middle school students are placed on Gladiator teams, a nod to the school’s mascot, with each student representing their team by wearing its designated color. High school students, meanwhile, form their own teams and choose a costume theme, ranging from gnomes to baristas. The students get creative with costumes and ways to represent their teams, turning the campus into a colorful display of creativity and camaraderie.
Throughout the day, they participate in games designed to test teamwork, skill, and strategy. Popular outdoor events include Capture the Ball, Tug of War, and Ultimate Frisbee, as well as imaginative indoor challenges like a life size version of Hungry-Hungry-Hippos in the gym. Other challenges include a game of Giant Jenga that is paired with trivia questions, Blindfold Labyrinth and Blindfold Drawing, both which tests the team’s ability to communicate directions verbally with one another.
This year’s Faculty vs. Seniors game, featuring a giant beach ball version of Four Square, was a particular crowd-pleaser, with teachers, seniors, and student leaders facing off to the cheers of everyone in the gym. While the beach ball was compromised and deflated early in the game, it did not deflate the excitement and roar of the crowd.
Field Day also serves as an opportunity for high school leaders to mentor younger students. Through an application process, the Gladiator team program selects outstanding student leaders to manage teams, plan activities, and oversee games. For seniors like Joy and other student leaders, who have helped organize the event for years, the role is both a responsibility and an honor.
“I just think it’s an amazing opportunity for our grades to kind of mix and get to know each other more,” said Joy Sayegn, a senior and president of the Gladiator team program. “It makes it feel more like a community and like a family.” Sayegn has organized the event as vice president in the past and has now handed over the baton to current vice president and sophomore, Hadley Pearson.
Parents from the Parent Service Organization (PSO) add to the day by organizing a pancake breakfast that grows each year with the school’s enrollment. Volunteers work to make sure everyone is well-fed. Some of the dads take great pride in their ability to make the perfect pancake, contributing to the community spirit that defines the event.
As Field Day drew to a close, the excitement ramped up even more as scores were tallied and prizes were awarded. The top three teams in middle and high school were celebrated, with each student receiving a prize.
2024 Fall Field Day Middle School Team Champions:
1st Place: Team Sagittarius with 5 full wins!
2nd Place: Team Samnite
3rd Place: a 6-way tie between Teams Bestiarii, Retiarri, Murmillones, Velites, Thraeces, and Equites
2024 Fall Field Day High School Team Champions:
1st Place: Team Thanksgiving
2nd Place: Team Clowns
3rd Place: Team Gnomes vs Knights
The winning high school team, Team Thanksgiving, received the Gladiator helmet, while the top middle school team, Sagittarius, earned the Spirit Sword, a symbol inspired by Gladiator history. Schripsema explained that in ancient Rome, Gladiators were awarded a sword upon their freedom, a powerful emblem that today reflects the honor and spirit of teamwork.
For North Phoenix Prep, Field Day is an event that exemplifies student leadership, teamwork, and school honor, bringing the community together in a meaningful and unforgettable way.
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