The Germantown Academy Upper School celebrated their annual House Olympics on April 28, 2023. Students from each of the seven houses faced off in various competitions, races, and games and tallied up points as the day proceeded. Washington House, led by Mr. Steve Moll and the prefects Gabby Gallman ‘24, Gavin Fountain ‘24, and Isabella Casey ‘24, was the overall winner.
The day began in the Arts Center, where students gathered to enjoy the “Best of GA” video, which was created and edited by GA’s Digital Media classes. The video featured several skits and interviews, including a feature from Jeff Nissman ´24 where he discussed the creation of his own band and announced that they will be touring around Europe this summer. Students then prepared for their events and changed into their house spirit using face paint, glitter, and accessories. Representatives from each house kicked off the events, which ranged from digital art design to capture the chicken and tug of war, with the National Anthem to officially start the competitions.
Prefects from all houses helped to plan and lead these events, which greatly contributed to the successful outcome of the day. Claire Durkin ‘24 and Alex Brereton ‘24, Roberts House prefects, reflected on their efforts. “We had everyone in our house fill out a survey where they picked their top five events that they wanted to participate in, and from there, we were able to make sure that everyone was happy about the events they were doing,” said Durkin. “We also made wristbands for every student which said their events, locations, and times so everyone would know where to go and at what time,” Brereton added.
House Olympics is a very fun-filled, exciting day for the house prefects. “My favorite part of House Olympics was cheering on my teammates, especially during the final relay race when my house got to be all together on the bleachers,” said Durkin.
While prefects dedicated a lot of time to planning House Olympics, they were also able to participate in events to help out their house. Cooper Paule ‘24, Alcott Day prefect, shared some of his favorite activities. “I participated in Ultimate Frisbee for my house, and I loved the environment that my house created on the field with their house spirit,” said Paule.
In addition to the work of the house prefects, the house heads also greatly contributed to House Olympics. Mr. Moll discussed the planning process for house heads and his favorite parts of the day. “It’s a lot of organization and prep behind the scenes, and on the day of, we work to get everything set up and ready to go,” said Mr. Moll. Thrilled about Washington’s win, he stated, “I saw the joy of all the Upper School students out there with smiles on their faces which was amazing, and of course seeing that sea of black and silver, of Washington House, running around the track after winning, was the best part.”
House Olympics was a great time for the students of each house to bond with one another and work together to help out their houses. Overall, the day was enjoyable for everyone thanks to the house heads, prefects, and house spirit from the GA community.