'Let the games begin': Barry Elementary hosts Greek games
May 20—The outdoor quad of Barry Elementary School was filled with applause Thursday morning as students cheered on their fellow classmates in the annual sixth-grade Greek Games.
The entire school was in attendance with over 500 students waving flags and rooting for their favorite "city-state."
This event is credited to Rebekah Jones, a sixth-grade teacher, who implemented the friendly competition as a supplement to the school's curriculum.
"We're excited to be back at it and the kids have been working really hard," said Jones. "We study ancient civilization in sixth grade, so now we're just bringing it alive. ... It's going to be a great time."
During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the school's Greek Games had to take a temporary hiatus. Thursday's festivities marked the return of this long-anticipated event after two years of precautionary health measures. The seventh- and eighth-grade students remarked that they were slightly disappointed to have missed their opportunity to participate in this tradition, but they happily supported their classmates nonetheless. As for the younger students, they said they couldn't wait to be in sixth grade for their chance to compete in the games.
"It's like a right of passage here," added Jones.
Principal Benjamin Moss, or "Zeus," as he was referred to for the day, said he really enjoyed seeing how much time and effort the students put into their preparation.
"It's very student-run, which is one of the things they really get into," explained Moss. "They've been learning about ancient history, so they're excited to do something similar to maybe what happened in the past."
In total, there were about 78 sixth graders who were divided into three teams: Blue for Athens, red for Sparta, and green for Olympia. Each team had custom tie-dye shirts, which were made with the help of Tommy Thompson, one of the school's other sixth-grade teachers and event coordinators. Many of the teachers were dressed up in Greek attire as well.
The games included basketball, free throw, discus, javelin, arm wrestling, tug of war, and running events. Arm wrestling appeared to be the most popular, with a large huddle of students crowding the table and making bets on who the winners would be.
"I've been coming to this school for like eight years and this is finally my year to do it," exclaimed sixth-grade student Taran Hundal as he prepared himself for the discus throw.
"I remember coming to these when I was little," said Olivia Yancy, another sixth-grade student. "I love learning about the ancient times."
Last Thursday, Yancy became a regional champion after winning Sutter County's regional track meet. Her teachers said they anticipate she would do exceptionally well in the day's racing games.
Tehya Phillips, a new teacher at Barry Elementary, said her students had been talking about the event all week and she recently started having them read "Percy Jackson" to learn about the Greek gods specifically for the games.
The Greek Games are an all-day event for Barry Elementary. The day started with a parade and an opening ceremony before moving into competitive rounds. The games were followed by water balloons and a big BBQ with plenty of hot dogs and refreshments for all. Finally, the day concluded with a talent show and awards ceremony where the winners were recognized for their achievements.
"There's podiums just like the Olympics for gold, silver, and bronze medalists," said Jones. "But everyone will get a participation ribbon at the end. Fun and sportsmanship are always encouraged."
