Annually, our sixth graders break out of their classes for what is dubbed “Sixth-Grade Fun Day” to connect as a class, take on teamwork challenges, and have some—you guessed it—fun! This special Fun Day was held on Wednesday, September 25, during Homecoming week and, fittingly, on our Homecoming t-shirt spirit day.
For Fun Day, all MICDS Rams in the Class of 2031 participated in three unique activities: building perspective, honing observation skills, and embracing play. They participated in:
- Toxic Island – Students had to create a gadget that could transport a raw egg, spray painted gold, into a bucket that was “floating” in the middle of an ocean without cracking it and without touching the ocean or the nearby volcano lava. The ocean was symbolized by a blue tarp with a bucket in the center of it.
- Teamwork Challenges – Sixth graders did a number of challenges behind Ron Holtman Stadium, including Balance Board (all members of the team had to work together to balance on a wooden board), Walking the Planks (students had to walk as a team with two long, narrow wooden planks under each of their feet attached by string), and Crossing Lava (the sixth graders had to get from one side to another while balancing on wooden planks).
- A Scavenger Hunt – Students solved riddles, which gave them clues that led them to the pond, Olson Hall, our athletic fields, the Danforth Middle School building, and the McDonnell Athletic Center (MAC).
Bajro Cirkic ’31, Addie Rowland ’31, and Aarya Satwani ’31 all took the time to reflect on the various activities at Fun Day, and each of them had a different favorite challenge. Cirkic liked the Teamwork Challenges, Rowland enjoyed the Scavenger Hunt, and Satwani had a blast at Toxic Island. “We got to have fun, make things, and test them out kind of like in a makerspace,” Rowland shared about Toxic Island. “It was a lot of fun!”
With the different goals for the day, Cirkic talked about perfecting their observation skills during the Teamwork Challenges. “You had to be pretty precise and figure out in your head how something would balance [for Crossing Lava]. We would put the heaviest team members on one side to hold the planks. Then, we would have the lightest people walk across,” he explained. “In each game, when we wouldn’t succeed, we would change what we were doing like adjusting the order of who crossed the plank and when.” Students worked together to see what was working well and what they needed to alter.
Satwani commented on their use of perspective during the Scavenger Hunt. “There were riddles on the Scavenger Hunt. For some people, they were overthinking the answers to them; for others, the answers came more easily to them,” she said. “We all had different talents for different questions, and each person’s knowledge varied with each riddle.” They worked together with each point of view contributing in order for them to solve each riddle and succeed. Rowland echoed this sentiment. “Throughout the day, I was relying on my teammates, and my teammates were relying on me. There were certain subjects I was strong in and others that my teammates were stronger in. We all had to collaborate with each other.”
Sixth-Grade Fun Day was also a great opportunity for students to strengthen their LEAD skills. LEAD is a social-emotional learning concept that the Middle School embraces, which stands for:
- L – Learn with curiosity and joy
- E – Embrace challenge
- A – Advocate for self and community
- D – Demonstrate collaboration and teamwork
“Students not only brought high levels of energy to Fun Day, but they were able to demonstrate how they LEAD,” said Middle School Math Teacher Dustin Delfin. “I witnessed students embracing challenges, working as a team, advocating for each other while having fun. Whenever a challenge did not go well for any group, students were willing to try it repeatedly until they saw success. This, paired with the momentum of Homecoming week, promoted how we value our community.”
Cirkic stated that for Toxic Island, they were (E) embracing the challenge. “If one of the tactics would fail, we would take that as a challenge and try something a different way.” His team tried to achieve the goal without a balloon. They failed at first but got a lot closer to succeeding by the end of the class period.
Rowland, who can rattle off the LEAD concept already, shared that they were (L) learning with curiosity and joy as they got to know each other better through the different challenges. The day offered the opportunity to make new friends, too. They also (D) demonstrated collaboration and teamwork as they shared their different ideas and put them all together to succeed.
In summary, the day was a huge success whether the egg landed safely in the bucket or the plank was crossed without falling into the lava! Kelly Walsh, Middle School English Teacher, said, “Sixth-Grade Fun Day was just that—fun! It was refreshing to see our students in such different settings from our classrooms. They were truly just enjoying themselves. They were given very challenging tasks, but each one was embraced throughout the day with persistence and joy. It’s one of my favorite days of the year!”