Field Day started several years ago at TIA Charter School as an all-school activity. Back then they had a Hawaiian Day where kids would dress up “Hawaiian” and play around with different water games. Not everybody wanted to get wet and not everybody wanted to participate in those games, so TIA started having Field Day and Hawaiian Day. Eventually they realized that the kids had more fun and participated more in Field Day so Hawaiian Day was discontinued.
The First Half of Field Day Has Become a Walkathon! Raising Money for a Cause
Now, the first half of Field Day is a walk-a-thon fundraiser which raises money for Kids Feeding Kids. This helps provide meals for the children in Reynosa Tamaulipas, Mexico, during the summer and over the weekends when they don't go to school. The first year TIA was able to raise about $100 by having students donate money throughout the year. The second year the donations went up to $200. When they started the walk-a-thon last year, they raised $600. This year they raised close to $1000. The kids ask parents and businesses to pledge money to the students for the number of laps they will walk. An average student (even the kindergarteners) walks about 2 to 3 miles and they're happy to do it. Some of the older kids walk up to 10 miles.
The kids like the second half of Field Day more than the walk-a-thon, but the fundraising part of Field Day helps the school family see that the day isn’t just about TIA students having fun. The parents see the kids doing something to help other children and taking part in campaign that is bigger than the school. Last year about 200 kids participated and this year there were about 400 students walking laps.
The Second Half of Field Day - Fun and Games
After the fundraiser is done, the games start. All four campuses participate and students play different games depending on their grade level. The little ones will play kick ball or play on the playground. The older ones will play soccer or football. The wonderful thing about Field Day is that the students don’t want teams from the several campuses to compete against each other; they mix up the schools to form their teams. The kids bond and have a lot of fun together. Field Day is the last day of the week of Color Wars at TIA.
Be a Part of the TIA Fun
Tucson International Academy is an independently-run charter school. It is a team-based learning community that prepares students for a global society. Events such as Field Day help build team spirit and cooperation between the different campuses and students at TIA and help the students think beyond their city to help others in need.
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Written by Kim Murphey ~ TheJ3Effect
