All Secondary students and faculty took part in Secondary Sports Day on Friday, September 21. A feat of orchestration conducted by PE department head Elodie Dorn and her team, it brought together classes in seven grades, who, in rotation, moved from the school gym to play basketball and to Randall’s Island for track and soccer. Aptly entitled Une Journée au Sommet (roughly translated as A Day at the Summit), the day culminated in an inspiring conference with world champion wall-climber, Tori Allen.
Throughout the day, students competed class against class with prizes awarded at the end of the day. Said Ms. Dorn, “We wanted students to develop a spirit of solidarity by class at Sports Day, and also to give them a day to enjoy sports. It was a terrific atmosphere.”
Added new 6th grade history teacher and advisor Sylvain Pappalardo, “It was a day to connect with students in a different space outside of the classroom — to have fun and to support their classmates and also for us as teachers to get to know them better.”
The point was not lost on students. A visit with 7th graders playing basketball in the school gym found them cheering each other on and sharing tips on improving their game. 5eme5 student Charles shared insight into what makes a good “fast break” and “cross over,” while 5eme3 student Adenike commented on how much she enjoyed supporting her class.
And, it wasn’t only a day of sport. During a break, several students took time out to play piano. 6th-grader Anna took a rest from basketball to play her favorite Chopin piece on the piano in the school’s gallery. On one of buses to Randall’s Island students broke out in song, singing, yes, La Marseillaise and a few pop songs, too.
A highlight of the day was surely the conference with Tori Allen. During her hour-long presentation, Miss Allen talked about her career in sports and shared interesting facts about her own life and inspirations. Raised in Bénin by missionary parents, her first best friend was a pet monkey, who seems the clear source of her climbing skills. She also addressed her severe dyslexia and how, through sports, she found a way to overcome this considerable challenge.
During a question answer session with the middle school, she answered some tough questions. “Did you ever lose a competition?” “Do you regret any of your decisions?” “What is your current goal?” and the inevitable…”Do you have a boyfriend?,” which she deftly avoided. We welcome Miss Allen back anytime!
All in all, a day well-played and well-spent.
About the Author :
Elisabeth King joined the Lycée team in November 2011 as the school’s first director of communications. A francophile at heart, Elisabeth spent her junior year of college in Paris, and held her first job at the French Trade Office here in New York. She brings to the Lycée over 15 years of experience in media and communications in non-profits, government, news and business. She was previously executive vice president and director of strategy at ABI, Inc., a boutique public relations agency, and she worked as associate editor on two books co-authored by Todd Brewster and the late ABC News anchor Peter Jennings.