Israa Malhouni also contributed to this article.
On Wednesday, October 16th, Malden High School held its 4th annual Freshman Olympics. The Freshmen had a blast in the gym while other grades were busy taking the PSATs and SATs. All four houses competed in various games and activities to win the grand prize of a pizza party.
The Freshman Olympics is a good opportunity for students to socialize and bond with one another. One of the Freshman Olympic coordinators, Shauna Campbell, stated, “It’s a way to get them to work with other people that are in their house, that they may not interact with because they’re not in their classes, and then also compete with some of their friends that are in other houses that they knew from K-8.”
The freshmen split up to do different activities to start off the fun day full of spirit. There were some physical challenges to help them practice for the big day ahead of them. Additionally, there was a poster making event for the poster contest, and a Kahoot game to help the students prepare for the first segment of the day: the Knowledge Bowl.
Once it was time to head to the gym, all the houses came down, awaiting the exciting event ahead of them. The Knowledge Bowl is a trivia game with questions from English, Math, History, and Science.
All of the teams worked together to win. It was a close call, but in the end, Holland and Brunelli tied and took first place. Boyle was in second place, and Jenkins placed last. The gym was filled with loud noises and excitement from all four houses, especially Holland and Brunelli.
After the exciting Knowledge Bowl, the students were guided to lunch to build energy for the upcoming physical challenges.
Next up was the cardboard relay, which filled this portion of the day with excitement. Students from all four houses raced in cardboard boxes in teams of four. Once the first student made it halfway across the gym, another student took their place. Students were on the edge of their seats, but Holland ended up stealing the win.
Once the cardboard relay concluded, the air mattress race was up. This segment was a favorite among many students and teachers. “This year we added some new activities and took out some other ones. So this year, my favorite one was the mattress slide,” Campbell expressed. Brunelli house history teacher Paul Doucette said, “The air mattress slide race, that was my favorite, it was so fun.” Once again this race was a close call but it resulted in Boyle in first place, Holland second, Jenkins third, and last place to Brunelli. The cardboard relay was action-packed and had everyone eager to see the results.
Keeping up with the adrenaline and excitement, the hula hoop challenge followed. This challenge was where the houses could truly put their teamwork to the test. For this activity, the houses were put into teams. Each team lined up, connected arms, and had to pass the hula hoop from the start of the line to the end without disconnecting.
“Being in the audience and cheering for my team gave me a great sense of pride and happiness,” freshman Selina Lin voiced.
“I think the freshman Olympics builds school spirit and a better community,” Jenkins’s house teacher, Micheal Berman, mentioned. The different strategies used by each house were fascinating. It turns out that Jenkins and Brunelli had great strategies because they tied for first place. Holland followed in 2nd and Boyle in last.
Although the event was mostly for fun, many staff agree that it can help form connections between the students. “It gives them a reason to be excited to come up to Malden High School. But also, I think even just within the school, it’s such a big school that you don’t always have a chance to see all of your grade-level students in the same place at one time. So I thought it was cool to have students connect with other houses as well,” Doucette proclaimed.
One of the most competitive and highly anticipated activities was up next, Tug of War. For the first round of Tug of War, Jenkins and Brunelli faced against one another, resulting in Brunelli stealing the win. Boyle and Holland were now ready to compete. Once again Holland took the win, but similar to Jenkins, the competition was not over for Boyle.
For the next round of the Tug of War, the houses that lost the previous rounds went against each other. Boyle and Jenkins were both hungry for the win, resulting in a difficult round as the rope went back and forth, yet only one team could win. With much determination, Jenkins pulled through and advanced to the final round. Holland and Brunelli stepped up to compete after witnessing the fierce competition before them. Brunelli defeated Holland and advanced to the final round with Jenkins. This round determined the champion of the Tug-of-War activity. Brunelli ended up overruling the opposing team leaving Holland in second, Jenkins in third, and Boyle in fourth.
The following activity began: Free throws. This game required athletic ability and skill. Students from each of the houses volunteered to participate in this activity, determined to win the game. Forming a line behind the basketball hoop, the students attempted to shoot the basketball in the hoop. All houses played well, but in the end, Holland and Brunelli tied. Boyle was the follow-up and Jenkins placed last.
After free throws, Sheet Surf took place. Groups of students from each house participated in this activity. This required people to be able to cooperate and communicate with each other, and it also required skillful timing. Each group was provided one sheet of cloth. There were six people on each team, one person pulling the sheet, and the other five people stepping on the sheet. This challenge was visibly difficult. It was vital for the students to be coordinated and in sync with their team. Boyle ended up taking the win on this one. Brunnelli came in second. Holland was in third place and Jenkins was last.
“I wish I participated in more activities. I feel like it would have made the day more fun,” freshman Lillyanna Keogh communicated.
The final event was the Over and Under challenge. This event consisted of four teams, one from each house, and ten students in each team. All the teams were given a basketball and their task was to get the basketball to the tenth student and back. The first student had to put the basketball over their head, then the following student put it through their legs. This repeated until the end of the line. Once again, Boyle took the win and left the crowd curious about who was going to win. One point short of first, Brunelli followed with second place. Holland took third, and Jenkins received last place.
“I think the Freshman Olympics were a fun activity for the freshman to get settled into the new high school,” Freshman Tenzin Tseten concluded.
