For the first time in years, the Upper School came together in the Red Gym during Thursday’s lunch for the penultimate Spirit Week daytime event: Eliminator.

After a brief introduction by Dean of Students Will Miller, the first two teams, the ninth graders and the Seniors, took their starting positions and waited for the race to begin. With an electrifying mixture of shouts, cheers, and chants from the sidelines, the first race began, and the 9th graders came out on top after a close match against the Seniors.

After the first round, stations were reset and the Sophomore and Junior teams took their positions. After what appeared to be a solid lead on behalf of the class of 2025, the Juniors were able to gain ground against the Sophomores and secure the win during the tricycle race, the final stage of the competition. A member of the Sophomore Eliminator team, Azaria Coleman-Stokes, noted, “we struggled a little on the tricycle […] we had a lead and then we lost it.” She also commented on the team’s original approach: “A strategy that we had was to go fast [at the beginning of the race] so that we had time for the tricycle […] we all thought ahead so that we could do our best for [the tricycle] part.”

After this shocking upset, the course was reset, and the Sophomores faced off against the Seniors to decide the third and fourth place for the event. Once again, the Sophomores began the race with a remarkable lead but quickly lost it in the last portion of the race. The contrast in reaction between the Sophomore and Senior sidelines spoke volumes to the atmosphere of the competition, as the class of 2025 stood in disbelief while the seniors exploded with excitement after clinching 3rd in the race and firmly securing 2nd place overall to conclude Thursday’s competition.

With the title of first place and 100 points on the line, the Classes of 2024 and 2026 took their positions and braced themselves for the competition’s final round. In a breath of fresh air for the Juniors, they were able to acquire and maintain an early lead during the egg-on-spoon stage of the race. The Juniors rode this momentum to the finish line for another winning finish, extending their lead over the Seniors by 100 points.

Junior Olivia Neri mentioned that she is “proud of [the Juniors] for pulling through and for constantly supporting each other.”