Blue-White Night Unites Classmates in Competition

By Julia Gokalp
Reporter 

    On Wednesday, October 14, spirited students from all four grades gathered in an event hailed  as “frenetic,” “fun,” and  “AWESOME”: Blue and White Night.  At this event in North’s gymnasium, freshmen are pitted against sophomores and juniors against seniors in several events such as balloon pop, tug of war, tire pull, shoot the rock, and the obstacle course, among others.  Students commonly dress festively at this competition, and this year was no different.  They donned many different types of apparel in the color of their grade (light blue for freshmen, black for sophomores, dark blue for juniors, and white for seniors). Although the four classes were competing, they all shared a level of competitiveness and spirit. 
    
    The spirit of the students was evident in not only the way they dressed, but also in the cheers that filled the room. Often during the competition, groups of students would chant for their class (or occasionally against the opponent). Although rivalry was clearly present, many students enjoyed the way that Blue and White Night bonds members of each grade. 

    Amanda  Johnson, a senior, comments, “It’s a bonding experience with the rest of your grade and it’s super fun to participate in events.” 

    Angad Ahluwalia, a sophomore who enjoyed competing in shoot the rock (an event similar to knockout or a timed basket shooting competition), agreed that blue and white night is “[a] great class building activity.” 

    At the end of the competition, the seniors defeated the juniors, and the sophomores defeated the freshmen, continuing the outcome of most years. While some students felt worn out afterward, others had enough energy to continue cheering, filling the back parking lot with enthusiasm. . Even though the juniors and freshmen lost, some students such as Bria Long, a junior, still were able to recall reasons to be positive about the event, for those who lost “will just have to try harder next year….”  

​    On the other hand, the seniors, who enthusiastically ran into the gym cheering for their class, were able to enjoy their victory in their last year of high school. Beyond the victories and losses, students were able to take away valuable memories, such as when the juniors ran onto the gym court after barely beating the seniors in balloon pop, participating in events, being with friends, and the feeling of an adrenaline rush as people fervently cheered on their classmates, for the night- as Johnson put it- “[brought] a competitive side out of everyone.”

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