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All photos courtesy of PDS

On May 15, good weather finally smiled upon Blue and White Day, PDS’s annual field day event. After a disappointing postponement on the originally appointed date, many students were worried about whether the tradition would happen this year. Luckily, the planning committee was not easily defeated, and Blue and White Day came back the next week.

Feelings of excitement were high in the air this year, as everyone looked forward to almost a full day of school off. Although there was still lingering disappointment about having to return to school the next day, it was quickly swept away by the anticipation for the Big Race and Tug-of-war. The competition was fierce; the blue team eventually came out with a narrow victory.

This year’s Blue and White Day was also special, as it featured two auxiliary events. First, the ground was broken to signal the beginning of the construction of the new athletic center. With Blue and White Day being a day to celebrate athletics, it was a fitting time for the monumental occasion. Second, the Powderpuff Game, which was rained out on its designated day in the fall, took place after the Tug-of-War competitions. Upper School students chilled on the Baker Field bleachers while the junior and senior girls played a tight game that ended with a Junior Class victory.

Following last year’s example, Blue and White Day ran for almost the entire school day. After the Powderpuff Game concluded, everyone was free to choose what they would like to do among a variety of different games set up on Baker Field. According to freshman Sarina Hasan, who was on the planning committee, “We spent a couple of days in council talking over it because this was the first time we planned Blue and White Day for almost the whole academic day. We had to ask a lot of people to bring their own games and come at seven to help set up, but it was pretty effective.”

Hasan added that “the fact that people weren’t placed into groups and could go to activities with their friends allowed people to really bond.” Competition was not the focus of this year’s Blue and White Day. Instead, it was a day to connect with friends, forget about academics for a short while, and spend time outside. Freshman Divya Sharma echoed this sentiment, “It was an experience— it gave you a chance to see people you normally don’t see in your day.”

Seeing that Blue and White Day was a great success this year, council is already looking forward to seeing how its success can be built upon for next year. Junior George Ma, who was recently elected as Student Council President, said, “This year was really relaxed, and I know some people liked that, but next year I want to have another field where we can have competitive organized games going on at the same time as these easier ones—giving people two options.” This plan will keep the friendly and casual feel of this year’s Blue and White Day while also giving people a choice to participate in something more team-spirited.

With the Upper School’s renewed interest in Blue and White Day, the tradition will no doubt continue to expand and improve. Overall, this year’s Blue and White Day was a truly enjoyable day, and it was also a wonderful way to send off Rakesh Potluri, the beloved 2018-2019 Student Council President who made this extended gathering happen for the Upper School in the first place. Hopefully next year we can see it extend into a full-day event!