The second annual Junior-Senior Challenge Night took place on March 6, 2024 from 5pm to 7pm. The clash between the Class of 2024 and Class of 2025 ignited both a spirit of rivalry and sense of camaraderie at New Hyde Park Memorial High school.
“I think the most exciting moment during that challenge night was always being loud and hype whenever we were competing. There’s a certain vibe whenever a huge group of your classmates cheer together,” senior Ian Alana said.
Junior-Senior Challenge Night featured 11 events: one round of Hit the Deck relay race, one round of Over/Under Basketball relay race, one round of Scooter relay race, two rounds of Cage Volleyball, three rounds of Tug of War, and three rounds of Basketball Free Throws.
“My favorite game was Hit the Deck because of the diving and the fact that it was so competitive,” junior Anna Yang said. “I still can’t believe we won, but we had so much fun.”
In Hit the Deck, 14 students from each class participated in a relay race. A student would run from one baseline of the basketball court to the other, slide, then stand back up and run to the initial starting point. They would then step consecutively over the legs of their team members until reaching the end, where they would lay down until the entire team had finished the relay race. The juniors finished the race first, successfully defeating the seniors.
“Cage Volleyball was my favorite event of the day. Competing against the juniors and alongside my friends was so much fun,” senior Jayden Patel said. “The outcome was controversial and it could’ve gone either way, but both teams competed and it was a great experience.”
In Cage Volleyball, 24 students from each class faced off. Hitting a large beach ball, the juniors and seniors battled back and forth for two rounds. The seniors were declared the victor for both rounds.
During the Tug of War event, the audience roared as students from each class engaged in three rounds of pulling opposite ends of a rope, aiming to drag the other team across the designated line. The senior class reigned victorious all three rounds.
As for Basketball Free Throws, the final event, 6 students from each class took as many free throws as possible in an allotted time. Juniors achieved more free throws each round and were announced the winning team of the event.
Each class scored points for overall attendance in the event, collection of canned goods for a local food pantry, class spirit and decorating of respective stands. Both classes were deducted points for cheating or breaking any rules.
At the end of the battle, the juniors claimed victory over the seniors as the champions of Junior-Senior Challenge Night 2024.
“Regardless of the outcome of Junior-Senior Challenge Night, it was just nice to see so many of the students from the Class of 2025 come together as a team and work toward a common goal,” class of 2025 adviser Ms. Psaros said.
“We did not have strength in numbers, nor strength in size, but we ultimately prevailed,” junior Alex Tomalski said.
