The class of 2027 delivered an unprecedented performance that earned them the Dr. Charlie Wilson Trophy at the 50th annual Pelham Memorial High School Olympics. The juniors scored 485 points overall, finishing with 49 more points than the Spartan Seniors, who scored 436 points. The sophomores and freshmen scored 309 and 235, respectively. The victory was well fought, with the juniors earning important wins at the very end. The juniors earned first-place victories in 32 events. They crucially won decorations, spirit, and boys’ basketball. …..A junior victory seems to have become a much more serious possibility in recent memory, as the class of 2025 did the same as the Junior Class Carnival two years ago. But what makes this year’s winners’ win more impressive is their placement as sophomores. They finished third with 313.75 points, 58 points behind the class of 2026, while the class of 2025 finished in second place in their second-ever Olympics.
Points were tallied consistently, with points being awarded in descending order of placement by seven, five, three, and one. Only exemptions to this rule were neatness, can drive, spirit, attendance, decorations, and Sillywalk, which were calculated through other means.
On March sixth, each class had its share of victories and exciting moments. For the First Class Freshman, in their first-ever Olympics, they won 8 events: Girls’ pickleball, girls’ volleyball, omega ball, bananagrams, stuck on poetry, girls’ corn hole, taco, cat, goat, cheese pizza, and tied for first place in spirit.
The Subway Sophomores took victory in 14 events: Can drive, boys’ badminton, girls’ hockey, boys’ hockey, spoons, Trivial Pursuit, soccer, matball, boys’ kan jam, boys’ corn hole, girls’ putt-putt golf, hungry hungry hippos, rock paper scissors showdown, and lip service.
The Spartan Seniors scored first-place points in 27 events: Banner, dodgeball, boys’ pickleball, checkers, scatterball, paper airplanes, spelling bee, boys’ foursquare, girls’ foursquare, pictionary, eclipse ball, tied first in limbo, Jenga, three-legged race, spot-it, videogames, big bat, boys’ track, plinko, girls’ kan jam, freeze dance, simon says, girls’ basketball, boys’ tug o’war, boys’ putt putt golf, tied first in neatness, and sillywalk.
And finally, the Junior Class Carnival won all 32 of the following events: Decorations, red light green light, connect four, chess, girls’ badminton, uno, funkmaster, boys’ cage ball, girls’ cage ball, class feud, boys’ volleyball, NY times triathlon, obstacle course, nitro ball, 24, handball, wallyball, boggle, girls’ track, guess that song, frisbee, puzzles, charades, boys’ ping pong, girls’ ping pong, tic tac toe relay, knockout, boys’ basketball, mattress relay, tied in neatness, spirit, and attendance.
Many new events were added, including Uno, Spot It, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Banagrams, and mattress relay. The last of which took the place of tug-of-war before the silly walk in the middle school gym. Tug o’war used to be one of the last events of the day, but as of two years ago, it was pushed towards the middle of the day to accommodate a future increase in class sizes, with concern for the max capacity of the gym.
The day was a great day for school spirit and a way for each grade to come together for a common goal. Remarkably, this school tradition has been ongoing since 1977. The event was organized by former class advisor and guidance counselor Charlie T. Wilson, who wanted to generate more school spirit in the building. And since his invention, the Olympics is a day when kids get a break from school and have fun with their classmates. Just as Wilson hoped.
