Tolland Intermediate School Celebrates a Delayed Field Day

Monday turned out to be the perfect day for a field day… and a dunk in the tank.

Tolland Intermediate School students finally got their field day after the event was postponed on Friday due to bad weather. The all-day celebration was full of fun for the hard-working students who had a blast celebrating one of the most popular days of the school year.

"They ask, 'When are we going to have field day?' on the first day of school," music teacher and unified arts coordinator Judy Baker said; Baker and two other staff members organize the day.

Three fields were each set up with seven activities. Students rotated through the stations which featured potato sack races, tic tac toe relay races, parachutes and water play, to name a few.

The teachers also designed clever races that added new twists to traditional games. For example, the staff donated gloves, sweaters, sunglasses and beach towels to create a seasonal relay in which students had to race to gather the appropriate items.

"The activities range from old-fashioned to modern," Baker said, adding, "Everything is a non-competitive, cooperative game."

While the games were not competitive, students were very eager to win at the event's dunking booth, where Principal James Dineen and Asst. Principal Phil Stevens took turns sitting at the mercy of their pupils' throwing arms. Much to the delight of the participants, their peers threw accurately, sending the administrators into the tank time and time again.

The opportunity to throw at the dunk tank is a reward for the students who participated in the TIS Mileage Club, according to Baker. Students who run or walk a mile during recess receive a certain number of points. The highest earners receive the most chances to dunk their principals. Last year, the top students got to visit Dineen and Stevens as the bunkered down to sleep on the roof of the school.

On Monday, any student who participated in the program and who completed 5 miles during the spring session were able to throw a ball at the target in hopes of knocking the administrators into the drink, according to Dani Titterton, coordinator of the club. In total 505 students participated in the club, which is meant to “promote fitness… and “self-esteem as students set and reach personal goals”, over the course of the school year and ran 2,445 miles, Titterton wrote in an e-mail Tuesday.  

Despite all the excitement, the events still ran smoothly. Baker said there were some concerns that not enough parents would show up to volunteer due to the scheduling change. However, parents like Jane Pasini put in extra time to make sure there was enough supervision.

"I figured I'd just stay the whole time," Pasini said. She guided the children through a quiet arts and crafts activity where students wrote down positive things on their peers' artwork.

The day is designed to accommodate quiet moments to dial down the excitement. All the kids also spent time inside listening to a jazz band concert. 

Between the music, crafts and races it's hard to imagine a more perfectly planned day for Tolland's young scholars. Even by mid-day, it was clear that the day was a success.

"They're having a ball," Pasini said.

At the end of the day, members of the Mileage Club who reached the 35-mile and 50-mile milestones, and even an 84-mile milestone were recognized. The students include:

35 Miles: Nolan Alexander, John Fretto, Aidan Clark, Stephen Sutton, Jake DeMartino, Tyler Broderick, Jordan Bonadies, Natalie Hurlbut, Allyse Ernest, Avery Evans and Elizabeth DeLoretto.

50 Miles: Jack Murphy, Sean Murdock, Kevin Dooley and Michael Angers.

The Mile High Award (84 miles): Michael Angers

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