Earlier this week on Tuesday, November 21st, the year eleven students had the opportunity to participate in Picnic Day, an event typically held annually for junior students. Students had the chance to participate in a day of fun that included a rotation of exciting activities, which allowed for a day of relaxation after the stress of exams and a chance for students to bond with their classmates.
For some classic fun, there was the ring toss. With strong winds kicking off the morning, it would be an understatement to describe several form classes’ attempts as chaotic. As the rings swirled in the air unpredictably, seemingly defying the laws of physics, laughter echoed through the air, bringing joy to students from such a simple, nostalgic game.
Amidst the laughter and cheers for some amusingly bad and unbelievably clutch throws on the ring toss, a sack race added to the day’s energetic atmosphere. The lively yet intense competition elicited laughter and friendly banter as students cheered for their friends hopping up and down the field in their sacks.
Adding a sporty element to Picnic Day, participants enjoyed a soccer mini-game in which form classes competed to get as many shots as possible into the goal under a time constraint. The activity saw fierce competition between classes as many students appeared to have perfected a mix of speed, accuracy and the ability to remain calm under pressure, scoring goal after goal.
Down on the basketball courts, forms classes participated in a game of jump rope in rotating groups of five, attempting to jump as many times as possible. As students attempted to jump with perfect synchronisation while dealing with the court’s searing black tar floor, several groups ended their runs to break the record number of jumps in hilarious arguments over who had accidentally touched the rope during their jump.
To help students cool off from the scorching summer heat, a water slide was also set up. Several students slid down the makeshift waterslide, with the objective being to knock down as many cones as possible with their bodies as they accelerated into the cones. Though the slide left students dripping wet with grass stuck to their bodies, everyone seemed to rotate to the next activity with a smile on their faces.
The Picnic Day also featured the iconic Kiwi sport of gumboot throwing, with the goal of throwing a gumboot into one of three circles drawn on the field. Due to the unusual nature of gumboot throwing involving participants throwing the boot with their backs turned, this resulted in several chuckle-worthy attempts as gumboots landed metres away from the circles with disappointed looks from the teachers in charge.
The Spinner provided a thrilling, unorthodox twist to the other simpler picnic day activities. The objective was to spin ten times around a bat before running to and back from a pole while navigating past cones in a zig-zag motion. As easy as the activity may sound on paper, the spins destroyed any sense of coordination from many students, leading to comical falls and students dashing off in the wrong direction.
To finish off the fun-filled day with a bang, all year eleven form classes competed in a tug of war. The high-stakes activity saw many close matches, resulting in several disappointments as well as seemingly impossible comebacks. Through all the nails and grit, the final two classes 11CLSH and 11PAHS were pitted against each other. This final matchup appeared to be extremely close, with both sides initially appearing to be in a stalemate as neither side was willing to give an inch away, but ultimately, 11CLSH proved that they had wanted the victory more, taking home the bragging rights of coming first.
26th November, 2023
Written by Aaron Huang, edited by Emma Li
Photography by Emma Li, Kanishk Soni and Joseph Zhang
