Across the globe, people of all walks of life were inspired by the recent Olympic games. The Olympic motto, faster, higher, stronger, motivates athletes and spectators to do the best they can. Well, the students at Gates Mills Elementary School used their Olympic spirit to excel in their classrooms, school, and community and used the time during the Winter Olympics to stage their own school-wide Olympics.
Each classroom in kindergarten through fifth grade chose a country that represented themselves, or they made up their own country! The first grade class decided that they were best represented as Doglandia and the fourth grade decided that they were Hogwarts! Other countries that were chosen are a bit more well known like Japan, Brazil, the United States, and Greece.
The games kicked off with an opening ceremony. During the opening ceremony, each class presented their country to the rest of the school and explained why that country best represented their class. I wonder if Team Doglandia’s students are loyal and like to play outside. The opening ceremony even had a torch relay and a cauldron that was lit to signify the start of the games! Don’t worry though, it wasn’t a real fire.
After the games got started, each class worked on five different goals, each of which were represented by the five olympic rings. The blue Olympic ring represented reading. Each class had to reach their reading goals during the Olympics, and if they did, they got to fill in their ring. I bet I know what books Team Hogwarts read. The black ring represented school pride. To earn that ring, the students had to show pride in their work and their school. The red ring was math, the yellow ring was kindness. To earn the yellow ring, yup, you guessed it, the students had to show kindness to their peers and the faculty and staff at the school. The green ring was sportsmanship. If a class was able to fill all five of their rings, they got a prize better than a gold medal. PIZZA!
When we met with the teachers, they told us that they were very proud of how the students came together and helped each other reach their goals. They said it was a great opportunity for the students to think about things that they normally wouldn’t and, most importantly, it gave them a chance to celebrate each other and all the hard work they have done so far this year.
At the closing ceremonies, the teachers competed in some adjusted winter Olympic sports including curling, skeleton, and bobsled!
This week’s A+ Award goes to the students at Gates Mills Elementary School for using the Olympic spirit to come together as a community and support each other. Keep up the great work!
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