On October 12, classes were canceled for all. While the sophomores and juniors worked away at the PSATs, the freshman competed in the glorious Freshmen Games. 

The Freshmen Games are held annually, with all the freshmen competing in the same team as their Humanities class. Each team is named after a place students learn about in their humanities classes, with this year’s selection ranging from the ancient city of Sparta to the dystopian land of Um-Helat to the holy temple of Ishtar.  

The games are composed of a variety of both athletic and artistic competitions, such as a declamation contest, a three-legged race and more. “My favorite competition was the poetry competition,” recalled Ophelia Ni ’26. “I love how everyone hyped each other up despite being on different teams, and writing it and performing it was very fun.”

This year, Dr. Shah’s Mount Olympus class was the champion. Dr. Shah’s other class, Cedar Forest, ranked second, while Ms. Munch’s class, Troy, was third. The prizes included everlasting glory and cute little candy bags, which Rehan Bhargava ’26 remembers as “being very tasty. [He] especially liked the Twix bars.”

Beyond the competitive spirit and delectable winnings, the Freshman Games also brought a sense of community to each freshman class. Elaine Liu ‘26 recounted fondly, “After the Games, I got ice cream and pizza with my humanities class, and it was a nice bonding experience. I was glad to have a chance to hang out with everyone as friends instead of just classmates.”