The second annual SLUHlympics commenced just a week after the Class of 2023’s Junior Ring ceremony, acting as a celebration of the class’s camaraderie and brotherhood as they move into their senior year. Juniors took the day to release some of the tensions of completed AP exams and approaching finals by participating in some fun activities and games planned by their classmates.

Led by Junior Class Coordinator Tracy Lyons, STUCO President-Elect Pat Mehan and Vice President-Elect Chandler Flowers organized and planned the procedures of the event and all of its different activities throughout the day.

“As far as planning it, that all came from down from Miss Lyons,” said Flowers. “And then a lot of people didn’t really notice, but we were doing things behind the scenes, just making sure everything ran smoothly.”

The concept of Junior Fun Day first arose during the pandemic as a way to unite the class and continue to build the community of SLUH even after such a long period of separation.

“I think they were a great thing to put into the schedule during Covid times when everyone is missing the connection of being together, but I also think during normal school times they are very important,” explained Lyons. “Sure, you are coming here to go to school and to work really hard, but you’re also here because of the other special part of SLUH—the community. We should celebrate that and the relationships that you guys have formed so far by having fun together.”

“Our school can be so big and difficult that sometimes we get so focused on ourselves that we lose our identity as a class, and this helped us come together as a class,” said junior Hudson Funke.

SLUHlympics began with a Pentathlon consisting of five stages: Steal the Bacon, a Rock-Paper-Scissors game, a Kahoot!, a relay race, and Hasbro’s Catch Phrase game. Each homeroom was split in half to make two teams of about ten to compete against one another in each round, and many of these teams even chose a theme to boost spirit and their competitive nature. These themes ranged from the simple ensemble of navy shorts and a white shirt to the more elaborately planned uniforms of “Team Lyons,” who stenciled these words in black paint on matching white t-shirts.

“It was really nice to be able to just have fun with my friends, play games with them, and get closer with them,” said junior Daniel Irvine. “And doing our amazing Safari theme definitely helped to bring it all together.”

The Pentathlon was followed by a lunch of Chick-Fil-A sandwiches, accompanied by a game of Saint Louis-based trivia and the class game of guessing the names of Disney movie songs.The juniors were then let out onto the upper field and football field for some unregulated recreational time in which they played kickball, Spikeball, and Crossnet. More importantly, though, juniors enjoyed the spoils of a free ice cream truck and a 40-foot Slip ‘n’ Slide.

“The Slip ‘n’ Slide was definitely my favorite part,” said junior Lucas Rammacher. “It was super fun going again and again with my friends, getting soaked and sucking on some Bomb Pops from the ice cream truck.”

After an abundance of excitement on the slopes of the Slip ‘n’ Slide’s plastic tarp, the competition came to a head in the Tug of War, which placed the top four teams against each other in order to determine the overall champion of SLUHlympics. Ultimately, despite the fierce battle that took place on the football field, the second half of M222 came out on top.

“I loved the Tug of War because of course we won,” said junior Ian Manion. “We were underdogs coming into this. We were seen as not very athletic, but we came out on top. It was a great moment, and now my medal is hanging up in my car so I see it every time I drive.”