By Plamena Quintavalla, Bronxville School Reporter for Syntax

Jun. 22, 2016:  Bronxville Middle School students participated in the annual Field Day on June 10, which brought together the entire school for a day of team-building activities and friendly competition games.

The students, in grades six through eight, worked together in two teams and wore their designated white or blue shirts. They participated in a variety of track and field events, including relay races, shot put, long jump, and high jump, as well as big group activities, such as tug-of-war. 

“One of the things that we look to do in the middle school is to get the students to work together on a team for a common purpose,” seventh-grade math teacher Gene Orsenigo said. “This Field Day does that. It’s a great opportunity for them to get outside and have fun with each other. Middle school is a tight schedule, so they don’t get a lot of down time, and this was a nice day for them to hang out with their friends and work toward a goal in the competition.”

Connor Mitchell, an eighth-grade math teacher, said the day provided students with the opportunity to get a sense of unity. “We get the sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders to become one and have the chance to work together and build new relationships,” he said. “It’s also really fun for us as teachers to come out and see the students outside of their academic settings, to see what their interests and hobbies are and how athletic they are,” said Mitchell.

Seventh-grader Michael Randall said he enjoyed being able to get outside and play games with his friends, but he also learned important lessons.

“It’s a day where we are allowed to be competitive, but it’s also a day where we can have good sportsmanship,” he said. “We have to be competitive but we also need to be gracious winners and [Field Day] teaches us if we lose to just move on and do better next time.”

Pictured here:  Bronxville Middle School students participating in team-building activities during the annual Field Day.

Photo courtesy The Bronxville School