![Adding a tray of canned corn to the pile, junior Michael Collop assists in transporting donations for the Holiday Food Drive. The event, hosted schoolwide from Dec. 10-17, raised over 5,000 food items to deliver to the Parkway Food Pantry, helping several families in need. [The drive] is a great thing for us to do because you're giving to those who are less fortunate, and it helps provide for people who can't provide for themselves. [The] competition is always fun, too. It was fun to be in [social studies teacher Jess] Chazen’s class, because he always gets worked up over [the competition]. He made it exciting, and was always convincing us to turn in cans for the drive,” Collop said.](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/feature-photo-unsung-2.png)
![NEW CHALLENGE, NEW TEAM MEMBERS: Every season, VEX creates a new game that robotics team members are faced with and have to build a robot to compete in. This year’s game forces students to create a robot that is able to stack rings onto mobile goals in order to score points. The change in games each season is something that robotics teacher Audrea Moyers appreciates.
“One of the things that I like about VEX is that they have a new problem to solve every year,” she said. ¨Even though the equipment’s the same, they have to analyze the game, and they have to come up with solutions that are unique that year. They are using their knowledge from prior years, but they have to kind of redesign a problem.”
As returning teams were faced a new game, some new teams and members had to adapt to a uncommon playing field and game.
“Three of our four teams were competing for the first time this year, and they had very different experiences match to match, so I think they learned a lot,¨ she said. ¨It’s hard just watching a video online to know how it’s actually going to be in person, so they all learned a lot about what gameplay is like, how to work with an alliance partner [and] how to adapt during the day to changes.”](https://bestofsno.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_9283-1-1200x800.jpg)
Throughout campus, there are many ways to earn your PE credit, but one particular physical education class called Partners PE does things a little differently.
“So this class is all about creating experiences for both the general education and the SPED kids,” Partner’s PE Coach Khera Vay said. “So, just the creativity allows them to do things that are different outside of what we would normally do.”
While one of the main components of Partner’s PE is to attend and compete in the special olympics, before students do so, they first practice to become prepared for their upcoming competitions. Right before their official bowling practice in a bowling facility, this week students got to partake in a different kind of bowling practice in the dark.
“There are glow sticks and bowling pins and we put stickers on our bowling balls,” senior Ronan Sturtz said.
For senior Peyton Vargus, this experience allows for special need students to get out of their comfort zone and experience change.
“I think glow-in-the-dark bowling is a really cool concept and really fun idea for them to do because it’s something different,” Vargus said. “I think that change can be sometimes scary for people. So I think especially for them, it’s really good to incorporate change into fun activities.”
According to sophomore, Jeremiah Sedgwick, having a mentor like Partner’s PE coach, Khera Vay, allows for a more exciting experience in practice.
“I’m so glad that Coach Vay is one of those fun coaches,” Sedgwick said. “I can do whatever I want. Like in the elementary school or the middle school. That’s one of my favorite coaches.”
While this exercise proved to bring joy to the gym, Vay creates every game and activity for a purpose.
“Glow in the dark bowling just created an opportunity for some differentiation and an environment that they’re not used to,” Vay said. “So it might have created some challenges for some of them because the lights were off.”
This story was originally published on Wingspan on September 18, 2024.