Senior Olympic Relay Race Cultivates Community and Nostalgia
October 6, 2025
The Upper School Senior Olympics are in full swing, transforming the final year of high school into a collaborative marathon of memory-making and camaraderie. With the first event successfully completed over the summer, the Class of 2026 recently completed its second demanding phase—a high-stakes, campus-wide relay designed not just for physical speed, but for strategic teamwork and poignant reflection.
Twelfth-Grade Dean Marcela Garcini recognized the need for a high-energy, shared experience to support and celebrate the seniors during a rigorous period, inspiring the origin of this year-long contest. The comprehensive effort has been creatively led by Upper School Health Teacher and “Senior Olympics” coordinator Mike Schneider, who designs the events with a singular, crucial focus: engagement.
“I just want the seniors to have a lot of fun and look forward to each event,” Schneider said. “The biggest measure of success would be if they remember these events as one of their ESD highlights, something that helps define their senior year."
The second phase, structured as an Olympic-style relay, required student teams to navigate the expansive campus and quickly collect a series of specially selected items from designated checkpoints. The route was an intentional, sentimental journey that guided seniors through the academic buildings and common spaces they have experienced since their earliest days in the fifth grade, as well as each athletic field, which has housed many of their athletic accomplishments along the way.
The collected artifacts were a tangible timeline of their educational career. Schneider explained that each item was intended to turn the race into a “farewell to ESD” experience. For instance, teams retrieved a fishing reel from the Quarry (a centerpiece of the school’s campus), safety goggles from the Cook Building and its many science labs, and a specific volume of classic literature from the Upper School’s English department, symbolizing their academic rigor. This process of “touching every corner” underscored the depth of the seniors’ shared history before they head toward graduation.
“The challenge for me is to come up with events where all the students will participate,” Schneider confirmed. The core rule remains consistent: success must hinge on teamwork, not individual talent. “The emphasis is entirely on collaboration,” he added, ensuring that every student feels they have a critical role to play in their team’s success.
As the seniors wrapped up the relay, shouts of encouragement echoed across the campus, celebrating the collective effort over the final scores. Following the success of the first two phases, the competitive spirit is high. Though the details of future challenges are locked away in a “secret vault,” Schneider teased that the Winter Olympics event will include a two-man bobsled competition—an inspired offshoot of a real Olympic sport that ensures collaboration, strategic planning, and fun remain the gold standard for these unique games. We cannot wait to see the seniors’ next challenge on November 18; rumor has it, this challenge will require some musicality and rhythm!
