It’s almost the end of the year, and you know what that means. Activity Day is upon us and everyone is rearing to be declared champions of SRHS. Last year, things seemed to be geared towards the seniors as it always has, but the class of 2019 came in with a surprising upset over them. This year, the class is looking to become the first ever to repeat as Activity Day champions. But how likely is it that this will happen?

As we clearly saw last year, the famed day is not entirely rigged for the seniors to always win. It would be more logical to say that the class with the best athletes will undoubtedly lead their peers to victory. The number of active events far outway the number of events geared towards smarts or skill, hence why we name the day “ACTIVITY” day; you’re meant to get your blood pumping. However, this is mostly balanced out by the school trivia game held at the very end of the events. One could argue, though, that THIS event, in particular, is rigged towards the upperclassmen. Most of the academic questions asked showcase subjects that not every underclassman has had the opportunity to take. Worse still is the questions aimed towards facts about the teachers, whom almost half of which only teach upperclassmen. This can discourage the underclassmen, but having this mind, they should use this fact to play their hardest in every other event.

Despite how equal the day is meant to be, it does seem as if this year’s seniors have the edge to win it all again, and for good reasons.

For one, their advisor from the last two years, Mr. Sarver, will continue to coach his reigning class to victory instead of the usual advisor for the seniors, Mr. Belowich, who left us last year. Sarver said he enjoys coaching the seniors because “It’s a unique class. They’re pretty positive, they’re willing to work together, and that’s why they were the first junior class to win (Activity Day).” Another thing the reigning champs have going for them is not quite as obvious. Last year, the class did not win by dominating every event. This by no means implies the seniors did not have the upper hand in any event, but the fact is they had the most second and third place victories, which racked up a lot of points. “We had a lot of kids last year compete in events they didn’t really want to do, but gave it their best and we got points that way,” said Sarver. “Every grade level has kids that are willing to sign up for events, (but) it’s finding those kids that are on the fence about something and motivating them so we fill (all) the spots.” This leads to their third strength, spirit. While not many may admit it, the senior class enjoys coming to school and showing their spirit for the district. This special quality is hard to find amongst people our age, and it’s that trait that Sarver attributes to the fun of coaching this class. “That willingness to be here creates a positive vibe from them…you don’t have to pry to get them to participate. Obviously, it’s not just good for Activity Day, it’s good for the school culture,” said Sarver. This willingness to participate will most likely increase due to the victory last year. Many seniors are already pumped to win it all again. While this is a good attitude to have, Sarver advises his crew to “stay humble and get the job done.”

While we saw last year that Activity Day is not necessarily rigged toward the seniors, and it really is anyone’s game to win, it is most likely that this year’s seniors will triumph not only thanks to the experience they’ve gained over the past four years, but also to their immense positivity paired with their abundance of school spirit. On the contrary, this should not discourage the other classes, but merely motivate them to destroy the expectations. No matter what happens, every student can agree that Activity Day has, and always will be, a great beginning to the end of the school year.