Freshman Field Day serves as Upper St. Clair bonding experience
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Saif Bin Hammad motions toward where he thinks an opponent might be during a round of blindfolded dodgeball.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Angelina Mammarella participates in the bounce race during Freshman Field Day.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Phoebe Chen concentrates on keeping aboard the ball during a bounce race.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Team Canada adds an international flavor to Freshman Field Day.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Hair bounces, too, for Sarah Eccher.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Members of the Hughes’ Clues team participate in an event.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
A tennis ball serves as a “hot potato.”
Fans of “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” will remember Vince Vaughan’s character tying on a blindfold around his head before blasting Ben Stiller with a ball.
The stakes weren’t quite as high as the 2004 film’s fictitious $50,000 first prize, but students at Upper St. Clair High School had a blast playing blindfolded dodgeball during Freshman Field Day.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Seniors serving as “supermentors”: front, from left, Julia Geisler, Rachel Tudi and Anne Ferry; back, C.J. Hess, Emily Gallagher, Jack Fitzpatrick and Emma LaRocco.
Each year, ninth-graders gather on the turf of the school’s stadium to participate in a variety of amusing sporting activities in a fall tradition that began a decade ago, with members of freshman homerooms banding together to compete as teams.
“The goal is to bring them together, have some common stories and experiences,” school counselor Tom Marquis explained, so as they move through the year, they’re a tight-knit group. They support each other. They look out for each other. And hopefully, it makes their high school experience a little bit better.”
Freshman Field Day serves as an integral part of the Upper St. Clair High School Mentoring Program. About 60 junior peer mentors serve as support and resource people who provide information and encouragement.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Members of the Hritz team attempt to maneuver a pair of planks.
“At the end of the year, we have our sophomores trained,” Marquis said. “We take them for two days of leadership skills, helping skills and all of those things to get them ready for the upcoming year.”
Guiding the juniors are seven senior “supermentors” who served as mentors for 2017-18: Anne Ferry, Jack Fitzpatrick, Emily Gallagher, Julia Geisler, C.J. Hess, Emma LaRocco and Rachel Tudi.
“As a junior mentor last year, I thought, I definitely want to be a ‘super’ and continue with the program,” Emma recalled. “So I was so excited when we got chosen.”
She and Jack were in charge of Freshman Field Day, held on the chilly morning of Oct. 12, and they also handle public relations for the mentoring program. Other “super mentors” take care of such functions as welcoming students who are new to the district and sharing information about the program with youngsters at Fort Couch and Boyce middle schools.
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Youngsters still enjoy a good, old-fashioned tug-o-war.
“We designed all the games and set it all up, so that the homerooms can really bond,” Emma said about field day. “We let them create their own outfits, and we love all the creativity.”
Various teams were decked out with matching shirts pronouncing the likes of “Lifeguards,” “Hughes’ Clues” and, for science teacher Rebecca Hritz’s homeroom, the familiar Ritz Cracker logo with an “H” in front.
“Lots of details go into it,” Marquis said with regard to preparations for the event. “We’ve done it for a few years, so we kind of know the routine, and we’re lucky we have some kids who are great helpers and organizers, so it makes things run pretty smoothly.”
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Colby Alauzen takes a turn in the bounce race.
Joining him in overseeing the mentoring program are support teacher Maureen Chermak, and mathematics teachers Mike Funfar and Amanda Haas.
At the heart of the program, though, are the students, and today’s mentors are eager to thank those who preceded them in the role.
“I definitely remember my mentors influencing me in a major way,” Jack Fitzpatrick said. “Since they had such a huge impact on us as freshman, I wanted to give back and do the same for them.”
As for the Freshman Field Day?
“I’m glad that we do this each year, and it’s a huge hit for everything,” he said. “So I hope it continues for years to come.”
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Harry Funk / The Almanac
Anne Ferry, one of the senior “supermentors,” leads members of the Grey’s Gangsters team to their next event.