A Joy-Filled Day of Celebration

The days leading up to spring break at NCA were filled with joy. Middle schoolers enjoyed spirit week, even as they wrapped up third quarter projects and tests.

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Field Day: A Very Fun Half Day
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We have a bit of a tradition at NCA: half days before a few of our major breaks. The day before Christmas break is a half day; the day before summer is a half day (obviously); the day before Easter break is a half day. AND the day before spring break: HALF DAY! What could be better? Instead of class parties or grade level rotations, the half day before spring break at NCA is typically when we schedule field day. And, this year, we also aligned field day with the culmination of middle school spirit week.
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What is spirit week like at NCA? The middle school team of teachers place each student in a team. Throughout the week, those teams compete in various challenges and games. The students have various dress up days with corresponding dress up contents. They collect points through these challenges and contests. This culminates in a presentation to the whole school at a Warrior Rally on Friday morning. Presentations demonstrate creativity, teamwork, and school spirit. Following the Warrior Rally, the whole school community proceeds to the field for NCA's Annual Field Day!

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8-9am: Warrior Rally
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This year, we started our Warrior Rally with worship (of course)! We invited parents and siblings to the assembly, which took place in our library/chapel/multi-purpose area. The middle school spirit week teams presented to the whole school. They performed skits, dances, and cheers -- all student-led and student-created and focused on what makes NCA unique and worthy of celebration.
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9:30-11:30am: Field Day Activities in Family Groups
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We split students up into family groups and assigned each group a color. Students are grouped with their siblings, and we try to make each group equal in terms of grade-level dispersion. Many parents participated as helpers on field day, adding to the excitement and enthusiasm of the day. Our PE teacher, Coach Works, created 9 different activities for students to complete -- all placed around the field. Rotations included classic field day games as well as relays and water activities.

The purpose of field day each year is to cultivate biblical community and celebrate how God has created our bodies to move. It's a day for families to be together and enjoy the outdoors. Students develop friendships with each other outside of their grade level and class families. This year, our field day didn't involve competition between color groups. Rather, students worked together to complete tasks and enjoy competition within their groups. Moreover, parents participated with their children's color group and proceeded through the activities.

Our team of outstanding educators ran the various activities or led individual color groups. They helped students get to know one another within their groups and facilitated the activities.

What a wonderful lead-in to spring break and a great celebration with our NCA families! Go Warriors!