It’s time for the 2nd Annual Bridges Decathlon, coming Friday, February 14! For new students, the Decathlon is a schoolwide community activity and student-led fundraising opportunity. It is comprised of 10 non-traditional events, designed with Bridges kids in mind. Most events are a twist on traditional games, designed to put all students on more equal footing, while also being fun and physically active. Teams are made up of students from all divisions, and designed to promote community, practice social skills, and foster cross divisional relationships. Students are encouraged to participate in as many events as they would like and push out of their comfort zone in a safe space. The more participation from teammates, the better chance a team will have to win medals and prizes!
Furthermore, Decathlon takes place during school hours, making it a fully inclusive event for all students.
WHY A DECATHALON?
As our student body grows, the interaction between students across all grade levels becomes more challenging. We have been looking for ways to strengthen the student community and provide opportunities for students from different divisions to develop relationships, practice social skills and practice teamwork. By having a variety of events on campus during school hours, it becomes a fully inclusive event for all students. Another goal is to encourage physical exercise. Understanding that our student body has differing attitudes towards “traditional sports” or even physical activities in general, we are adopting a 2e approach to what some of us may have experienced in a typical school Field Day.
DECATHALON 2020 EVENTS
Sticky Obstacle Course (think velcro!)
Coconut Tree Climb
Archery
Giant Tricycle Races
Tug of War
Meltdown Inflatable (ala Wipeout!)
Balloon Battle Royale
Hungry Hungry Humans
Relay Race
Jeopardy!
There will also be activities for students who need some downtime, including:
Giant Jenga
Blackjack with huge playing cards
Giant Kerplunk
Cornhole
Giant Yahtzee
HOW THE DECATHALON WORKS
There will be 15 teams, each comprised of Phoenix, middle and high school students, with three faculty members (one from each division) shepherding the teams from station to station. Teams will meet weekly leading up to the event to create team names, practice events and get to know each other. The day of the Decathlon will start off as any other day, then students will lunch with their teams, and let the games begin!!
There are many opportunities to win!
1stPlace Team (Highest cumulative score of all events)Gold medalsTeam name on a trophy that will be displayed in the gymnasium trophy case all yearGrand Prize – choice of team celebration: go carts, escape room, off campus lunch, etc.
2ndPlace Team– silver medals
3rdPlace Team– bronze medals
Spirit of Bridges Team Award: This team embodies the most teamwork, sportsmanship, positive attitude and willingness to push out of their comfort zone.
Phoenix Spirit of Bridges: The Phoenix individual who pushes out of his/her comfort zone and puts forth solid effort with a great attitude, regardless of outcome.
Middle School Spirit of Bridges: The middle school individual who pushes out of his/her comfort zone and puts forth solid effort with a great attitude, regardless of outcome.
High School Spirit of Bridges: The high school individual who pushes out of his/her comfort zone and puts forth solid effort with a great attitude, regardless of outcome.
Top Fundraising Team: The team who raises the most money will receive a Grand Prize – choice of team celebration: go carts, escape room, off campus lunch.
Top Fundraising Individual: The individual who raises the most money will receive a trophy and prize
Best Website Design: The individual with the most creative website will win a trophy and prize.
THE FUNDRAISING DETAILS
Students can customize their own website with photos and videos using our online fundraising tool, making it easy and fun to reach out to friends and family across the globe. Donations are given online, and students can track the progress vs the other teams and individuals.
Fundraising is an important element of the Decathlon and we hope students will join the effort. Students can earn prizes for raising money. However, THERE IS NO COST TO PARTICIPATE IN THE DECATHLON.
