This past month, ETA Iyesha Belgrave hosted her first Field Day at SMA NU Al Ma’ruf Kudus. Field Day was modeled after the school-wide competition-based events that take place in many schools across America. In the weeks leading up to the event, a student committee came together to build their leadership skills, helping to organize teams, prepare game materials, and generate excitement for the competition.

On the morning of December 17, students came together to compete in six different games: Egg-Spoon Race, Three-Legged Race, Word Matching, Sentence Scramble, and Sponge Bucket Race. Eighty-five participating students were split into four teams, named after major US cities: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Teams were also assigned colors to represent them and created posters and chants to cheer on their teammates. Additionally, students had the opportunity to participate in a scavenger hunt, where they solved English riddles to earn additional points for their school.

After a day of intense competition and friendly rivalry, students cooled off with a water balloon fight. Finally, the winners were announced: Team Los Angeles won first place with over 40 points! Next semester, a second Field Day will be held, where students will compete again to determine who the new champions will be.

Iyesha Belgrave is currently teaching at SMA NU Al Ma’ruf Kudus, Central Java.