On January 9, the eighth grade took its annual trip to the Upper School to volunteer at the Friendship Games.  The Friendship Games got their name because the eighth graders were having a T-Shirt contest and the winner of the contest had the title of, “The Friendship Games.”  Ms. Devine, the eighth-grade English Department Chair, has been spearheading this event since its inception.  “This is the tenth year of The Friendship Games,” she stated. “We started the games because Mrs. Malone, who was a parent of one of my eighth graders, was involved with special needs students in the public school and asked me if the Benjamin eighth graders would help host a field day event for them.”  Ever since that year, the bond between The Benjamin School and these students has been growing.

“I believe this is an excellent community service project for our eighth-grade class,” said Ms. Devine.  “It is a great way to see all of the eighth-grade students bring out their true kindness and compassion towards the students,” Devine exclaimed.  But it was not only teachers who were excited for the games.

“The Friendship Games were really fun because we get to help all of the students participate in many activities that they usually do not get to participate in, such as playing soccer or running track,” commented eighth grader Payton Sukhu. “I am hoping that the students had a fun time.”

Over 550 students in elementary through high school grades participated in The Friendship Games this year. They came from Dwyer, Duncan, Limestone Creek, Alamanda, and Renaissance.

Even though the day started with a little rain, it did not dampen the spirits of the TBS eighth graders and the participants.  After the rain, in ceremonial fashion (a la The Olympics) all of the students took a lap around the track. Then the games began. The events included the 100-meter dash, shot put, bean bag toss, long jump, parachute popcorn, and many other fun activities. The TBS eighth graders helped the students run the 100-meter dash (even though some of the participants were faster than our own eighth graders!) and also helped run all of the other stations. By noon, because everybody was exhausted, all of the volunteers and participants stopped for lunch – refueling with healthy doses of pizza and chocolate chip cookies. The events continued until around 1:00 p.m.  as everyone packed up the tents and games and said goodbye to their new friends.

While it was a special day for the participants, it may have been just as special for the TBS eighth graders.  “I will remember this day for a long time,” remarked eighth grader Matt Rapaport. “My favorite part of the day was when I was helping out at the parachutes.  There were about 20 kids, and we all went under the parachute and got stuck.”

The friendship games really brought out the Benjamin student’s true kindness and compassion.  Eighth grader Eddie Hayes said, “I was a little bit hesitant to interact with the kids at first, but at the end of the games, I felt like I had known them for years.”  Hopefully, the incoming eighth graders can continue to strengthen the bond between TBS and the special needs students, and make more lasting memories at The Friendship Games.