By Melanie Jacob
Journal Staff Writer
Play Day at St. Dominic School was another success this year as the weather held out long enough for them to enjoy the day outside.
"I thought it went really well. We had a little bit of a scare, the weather looked like it was going to rain on us, but it ended up being excellent," said Andrea Fossen, a teacher and member of the Play Day committee.
Play Day happens annually at the school and is a way for students to have a day of fun and fitness before final exams and tests. The day includes splitting all the students into about 20 teams and letting them compete in about 30 games.
While many of the games stay the same, there are different ones every year. This year they had activities such as a gunny sack race, big shoe chuck, back-to-back balloons, football throw, fox tail toss, dry land canoeing, wall climbing, and a basketball throw. The day's events were concluded with tug-of-war matches between paired teams.
"It got a little chilly, but it wasn't too cold. Once the kids got moving, they were having fun," said Fossen. "We do this as a kind of culmination activity. We're an in motion school, so we've been doing it to promote physical fitness and leadership skills."
Encouraging the older Grade 8 kids to act as leaders for the younger grades fosters the leadership skills and promotes good sportsmanship and good citizenship.
"The students really shine and it's so neat to see how their leaders take over," said Fossen. "Our Grade 8 leaders were just excellent."
The day also included a bird theme, barbeque lunch, and a concession stand with snacks. Many parent volunteers showed up to help out, which Fossen said was a huge help.
