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By Emma Nantz

Recently, Gray Stone Day School hosted Knight Fight, which was a battle between the junior and senior classes. Students battled it out to see who would hang their flag in the Commons for the remainder of the school year. Sophomores also participated, joining either the senior or junior class.

First, students gathered in the gym after third period to witness the Class Battles. Students participated in six challenges for around 30 minutes. Students carried a tennis ball between their legs to a hula-hoop, popped balloons between each other, covered themselves in tape to pick up cards on the floor, rolled a table on top of themselves across the room, raced to find and blow bubblegum from a pie pan of whipped cream and completed a relay race.

Elias Jimenez-Mata, a junior, participated in two of the six activities. He was part of a human train, rolling across the gym floor, balancing a person on top of an upside down table. He also took part in the whipped cream battle, where he searched for bubblegum in a pie pan full of whipped cream and raced to blow the bubble first. Commenting on the experience, he said, “It was a great way to show school spirit and bring everyone together.”

Nina Sasche and Marshall Overcash, seniors at Gray Stone, both participated in the balloon-popping contest. Marshall had to run down the court and pop a balloon between himself and Nina, while she was sitting. Nina, who also ran in a previous round, said, “I wasn’t expecting a cardio workout.”

Although a chair tipped over in the process, both will remember the experience fondly.

While these six main activities occurred, Principal Jeff Morris conducted a series of mini-challenges. Each grade raced to find nail files, tie 13 shoes together and dig in their wallets for movie-ticket stubs and coupons.

Teachers helped throughout these activities as well.

Mrs. Evans, a pre-calculus teacher, helped the juniors.

“It was great to be able to give our students this fun, competitive experience,” she said. “Our students come from various locations, so these bonding opportunities are so important.”

After the Class Battles, the juniors were in the lead 5-1.

However, Knight Fight continued. Later on, students participated in a dodgeball game and a trivia competition. Team captains in dodgeball were Liv Gardner for the seniors and Keagan Vang for the juniors. Then, Shawn An captained the senior team in trivia, with Nathan Shanes leading the juniors.

During the dodgeball game, five members played at a time for seven rounds. David Almond, Luke Hill, Marshall Overcash, Jordan Engen, Liv Gardner, Chloé Bell, Gabe Reeder, Spencer Chandler, Shawn An and Chris Dulin were members of the senior team, winning the game and bringing the total to 8-5, with the juniors still in the lead.

Gabe Reeder shared, “The game was definitely fun, and I’m glad I joined the team last minute because it was worth it.”

The trivia challenge was the deciding factor in who would win the Knight Fight.

Morris asked questions from six categories, including Sports, Technology, History, Science, Gray Stone, Literature and Pop Culture.

Chloé Bell shared the most frustrating question, “Which letter isn’t on the periodic table of elements?” Other questions included “In what field did Shaquille O’Neal receive his doctorate?” and “Who narrates Moby Dick?”

The juniors prevailed in this challenge, winning Knight Fight, and bringing the score to 18-5. Their school flag will be hung in the Commons in the coming weeks.

Anna Tedeschi, a junior full of school spirit, said, “Knight Fight was a ton of fun and a great way for the Junior Class to show off our competitive side.”

An, a senior participating in both dodgeball and trivia, said, “I think Knight Fight was a great time for the whole high school to come together and have a good time. I was skeptical at first, but I found myself pumped up to support my seniors, especially during the dodgeball tournament. It was overall a great experience and one that I hope to see more often before graduation.”

In the spring, a powder-puff competition will be held, giving the seniors a chance to redeem themselves. Until then, the junior class’ flag will hang in the Commons.

Emma Nantz is a student at Gray Stone Day School. She reports on activities at the school.