On the morning of August 31, Peddie students and faculty awoke with a fresh sense of pride, determination and competition. They made their way to the press box, donning face paint and determined expressions. The previous evening, every student had signed up for various activities ranging from sports to arts to culinary skills, and now it would all be put to the test. This day would mark the revival of Peddie school spirit: the Blue and Gold Games.
This year, Potter and Seltzer teamed up for Blue, while Green and Degray were Gold. The games started at 1:30 p.m., with a tightly packed schedule that ran until the Pep Rally at 5:30 p.m. Throughout the afternoon, students ran around campus to participate in events that earned points. Some were more standard “field day” games, such as dodgeball, basketball knockout and capture the flag. But there were many other creative ones, such as synchronized swimming, a poetry slam, a grilled cheese-making competition and a Peter Quinn retirement skit. It was truly an assortment of activities.
In the past, one team usually had a clear lead over the other for the first half of the day, and this time was no different. Throughout most of the afternoon, the Blue team was blazing ahead, even doubling Gold’s points. But the Gold team didn’t lose hope as they started to fight back in the latter half of the day. Everyone had fun competing and cheering on their friends as it led up to the event that would decide everything.
While most of the school was running from place to place to attend as many games as possible, others had spent the entire afternoon preparing for the Pep Rally. It was the grand finale of the Games, and featured artwork, a skit, choreographies and musical performances. It was the final chance for everyone to unite together and demonstrate their team spirit, cheering for every performance while judges tallied points. People got on stage to wow the audience, some of them even volunteering on the spot to sing “Baby Shark” or improvise a play about the Three Piggies of Peddie, while others executed rehearsed performances like “Finesse” by Bruno Mars and “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan. Despite being behind the Blue Team, Gold secured the victory and won the 2024 Blue and Gold Games.
Even though winning the Games gave the Gold team bragging rights, everybody was a winner at the end of the day. Peddie gathered for the first time in the school year as a final hurrah before the beginning of academics on September 2. With the arrival of new students on campus and the return of many others, countless connections and memories were made. “It was a great time to engage with the newer Peddie community and enjoy all the fun activities with friends,” Isis Henderson ‘27 said. “It is always a highlight of the beginning of the school year.” Ultimately, the Blue and Gold Games was a fantastic introduction to the Peddie community and school spirit as students and faculty alike settled in from summer vacation to the academic school year.