The Sweet Home Junior High participated in its annual Tiger Olympics on Thursday, June 13. The Tiger Olympics is an event similar to the high school’s May Day, during which students participate in various games to win points and raffle tickets.
The thought behind the Tiger Olympics was to have fun outside following the COVID pandemic.
“The idea was to just have some fun outside where masks weren’t required on their last day of school,” Booster Clubs’ Ali Gardner said. “It’s morphed into a team competition.”
Gardener helped create this event, which first began with a field day.
The event truly begins in May. Teachers at the junior high see their homerooms twice a week throughout the year, but in May the teams begin to pick out their names, theme and chant to yell during the opening ceremony.
On the day of the event, the junior high starts the day off with an all-school assembly or the opening ceremony. During this assembly, each team is introduced while they showcase their flags and chants. The team names are often a mix of teachers’ names, such as “McNeil’s McNuggets” or “Nelson’s Neon Nerds.”
Gardener attributes the success of this event to all the volunteers who come out to make the event both exciting and fun for the kids.
“We have high school leadership kids running some stations, and a lot of parents take the day off to lead stations,” Gardener said.
These stations are where the teams compete to win points and raffle tickets. The stations include tug of war, field goal kick, trivia, cornhole, clumsy waiter relay and more. Students participated in these events to earn raffle tickets to place into the prize table. Along with prizes, there was also a drawing for pie-ing a staff member in the face.
This year, there were four prize tables full of prizes including a pair of AirPods and even a kayak. The prizes were donated by parents, community members and local businesses. The Booster Club also donated leftover snacks and soda from the Snack Shack. At the end of the event, Mr. McNeil’s McNuggets were crowned as the winning team, dethroning three-time repeat champion Mr. McLachlain, and his team, the Trash Rats.
Many students won many prizes, but most importantly had a good time.
“We look forward to this all year,” Gardener said. “It’s a great way to end – with smiles and laughter and crazy costumes.”
