“Grass! Trees! Sun!” exclaimed an excited Sacred Heart middle-schooler as she and her classmates exited the row of 22 buses lining the fields at Randall’s Island and prepared for a day of fitness, fun, and friendly competition. She was one of nearly 700 5th-7th grade students who participated in the first annual Partnership Network Field Day on Friday, May 29th.

The event, which was co-planned by Kids in the Game and facilitated by over 100 parent and Partnership volunteers, cycled students through a series of eight game stations. Proudly representing their schools in color-coordinated field day t-shirts, kids completed relay races with sponges, buckets, and limes on spoons, dribbled soccer balls through increasingly complex courses, and went head-to-head against other schools in the students’ favorite game of the day: capture the flag. Students encouraged their classmates, developed team cheers, and made new friends from other schools. Parents and Partnership and school staff also joined in on the fun – demonstrating games, offering flag-capturing strategies, and even entering the races.

Field Day is one of multiple new network-wide events that the Partnership hosted this school year in order to provide students with fun and enriching opportunities and to encourage them to befriend other Partnership students.

Next year, the Partnership plans to expand these opportunities by offering multiple sessions of weekend sports clinics in addition to the Chess Opens and Field Day. These events would not be possible without volunteers and friends of the Partnership. Please contact us if you are interested in helping out.