On Wednesday, February 21, MFS teachers and staff have engaged in a FitBit battle, competing on teams to see who could amass the most steps before Tuesday, March 20.
Associate Head of School and Academic Dean Chris Kimberley was the brains behind the idea, which was an immediate success among faculty members. He described his goals for the competition in an email to WordsWorth: “I was looking for a way to encourage people to get exercise at a time of year when we’re inclined to remain indoors and at our desks. I also designed the challenge to be team-based, mixing together people from different areas of the school to promote community building.”
Participants were organized into 15 teams, each consisting of 4 members. Whichever team collectively gained the most steps within the month was declared victorious. According to Upper School English teacher Clare Mackenzie, “You could sign up with one partner, and then you were randomly assigned two other people to make a team.” She believes this method “is really nice because it mixes it up, and you’re on a team with people who you don’t necessarily always see.”
When asked why she joined the competition, Mackenzie said, “I have the FitBit, and it seemed like fun. It’s sort of the winter doldrums, so it’s something to sort of perk things up, and it’s always fun when there’s something like this going on in the community. I mean, the phrase ‘build community’ sounds kind of cheesy, but I think it does.” Mackenzie’s teammate and English Department Chair Debra Galler joined the competition for a multitude of reasons, saying, “I’m already trying to make healthier choices, and I have a dangerous competitive streak, so when those two things were put together it worked out very nicely for me.”
History Department Chair Clark Thomson simply thought, “What the heck – it sounds like fun,” when deciding whether or not to participate. He, like Galler, asserted his willingness to compete, saying, “It has inspired me right now, because I’m a horribly competitive person, to walk in ways I would’ve never walked before.”
Though the whole challenge was in the spirit of competition, many teachers expressed feeling closer with their colleagues because of the common activity. Thomson said, “That’s the thing that I notice thinking about it the most is that I now interact with people when I see them in the hallway. I have something to talk to them about because I know they’re doing this. I might not have done [that] before so I think that’s good because I get to know more people.” MFS Computer instructor Gail Barna recalled a bonding experience: “I forgot something in the business office, and I had to run back down to get it, and somebody said, ‘You’re getting more steps!’ so that was nice.” Galler, whose classroom is in a location central to the school as it is near the Stokes Hall lobby, said, “People walk by the room and we all shout out to each other about it. It was an excellent idea for building teacher and staff community.”
Clearly, Kimberly’s goals for the activity have certainly been met. He told WordsWorth, “It was more successful than I’d anticipated! The great thing about a step challenge is that it’s easy for anyone to participate—you don’t have to have experience or a particular skill set to compete. I wanted a challenge that would be as inclusive as possible.”
As for the winners of the competition, many had unwavering faith that Lower School PE teacher Kelly Montanez would lead her team to the gold. According to many, Montanez took approximately 34,000 steps in one day at a few different points in the month. Other teachers called her a “beast”, a “monster”, and a “machine”, and most maintain that “Montanez’s team is the one to beat.” Thomson has a sneaking feeling Montanez’s team placement was not entirely a coincidence: “It seemed to me strange that both Mr. Kimberly and Ms. Montanez were on the same team. I think the fix was in from the start.” Thomson continued, “I think Mr. Kimberly made a grave mistake. He underestimated [Ms. Corsey’s group because] Ms. Corsey is a demon. I think [the winner] will be Ms. Corsey’s group all the way; I’m taking them right to the finish.”
Montanez ultimately placed second, falling behind a team lead in points by Middle/Upper School PE teacher Michael McGinn. Never a sore loser, Montanez told WordsWorth that “It was fun to be a part of the challenge and it encouraged [her] to keep moving for as much of the day as possible. It was also great [that] faculty members would encourage each other even if they weren’t on the same team.” She says, “I would definitely enjoy participating in the challenge again next year!”
Some faculty chose not to participate, like Middle/Upper School Science teacher Andrea Robinson, who said she “would not want to let her team down.” Additionally, Middle/Upper School PE teacher Erick Cotter chose not to chase the trophy, as he feels that PE teachers have an unfair advantage. Though this claim is substantiated by McGinn and Montanez’s team ranks, there is no word on how this will be addressed if the competition runs again next year.
According to Kimberly, “Many people have approached me since this Winter’s competition ended, asking that I coordinate a Spring challenge… it would be great to make the most of it and perhaps start an annual tradition!”
Interested parties will have to wait patiently to see if another challenge is organized, whether in Spring or next Winter, though there is no doubt that 2018’s first challenge has been a spirited success.
