BotC 2021-22: Congratulations Seniors!
April 29, 2022
For weeks now we have anticipated the conclusion of BotC, being hyped up with both the Patriot Hunt and Costume Competition. The Freshmen won the Patriot Hunt, which in retrospect I can see really foreshadowed the anxiety of Seniors to come. Although, Seniors won some extra points with their Lego themed costumes, giving our class some more confidence going into the night.
Onto what we’ve all been waiting for…the night of challenges for BotC! With my first step into the auditorium, I could already feel everyone buzzing with excitement. Initially, I was worried that BotC would not have a great turnout, much like a lot of other school sponsored events and activities after COVID, but last night proved me completely wrong! All of the bleachers were packed with students ready to cheer on their friends; so much so that there were even students sitting on the walkways of the bleachers.
The first event of the night was the scooter race! In this competition, players had to move themselves from one side of the gym to the other while sitting or laying on floor scooters, moving in a different way each round. The Juniors won this challenge, but unfortunately for them it was the only game they won that night.
Next was the egg toss. Team members worked with a partner to throw an egg to one another, increasing the distance between them with each throw. The Senior class’ incredibly talented softball players, Lila and Dana Williams, helped the Seniors win this event.
The following event, “Dance Moves,” had students dancing around in a circle until the music stopped, where they were expected to then find their partner and strike a specific pose with them. The last pair to strike the pose correctly would be eliminated, and the game went on until there were only people from one class left. The Sophomores put up a really good fight, but the Seniors won this competition.
After this, because of the next three events the Seniors started to get pretty worried about their placing.
In Junkyard Relay, players from each team had to take turns running across the gym to pick up an item from their pile, bring it back to their group, and then pass it off to the next person in line. This process repeated until there were no items left on the opposite side of the gym. The Seniors really struggled with this competition, and to add insult to injury the Freshmen were the ones who took the win.
Next was a Trivia challenge where each team was given questions that they would show to their class to try to find the answer in the quickest amount of time possible. With the help of some of the smartest students of each grade sitting in the front row and the internet, this event was definitely a test of each team’s cooperation. Once again, the Freshmen won this game.
Then in the Girl’s Tug of War, the first matchup was between the Freshmen and Seniors. To much of everyone’s surprise, the Freshmen won! This really soured the mood of the Senior class, but we definitely came back at them later in the night with an even stronger drive to win.
In the Boy’s Tug of War, the Seniors provided their class with a sigh of relief with their pretty decisive victory.
To much dismay, in the next event the Seniors placed last! The Seniors had a lot of trouble popping their green colored balloons. Everyone in the Senior bleachers winced as the balloons kept escaping from under the players. The Juniors were the team that wound up winning this one.
In the final and arguably most exciting event, each team performed their own dance routine. With the Freshmen performing first and the order working its way up through the classes, you could see each class increasingly outdoing the previous, so when it was time for the Seniors to perform the stakes were definitely high. Although, at the conclusion of the Senior’s dance when they walked through the graduation banner holding all of their sports gear, trophies, and other symbols of their accomplishments, I think everyone knew our victory was secured.
At the conclusion of the night, it was announced that despite their great effort and spirit, the Freshmen came in last. Next, it was revealed that the Juniors and Sophomores actually tied. After this the Seniors knew they had won, but the instant those words left the mouth of the announcer to make it official, the gymnasium erupted in cheers. Seniors ran down elated from the bleachers to congratulate their peers.
Despite the actual win, you could tell it was a great night by how loud we chanted, the crowding of the bleachers, and each team giving it their absolute best. I went home realizing I had lost my voice from cheering my class on so much, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here’s what FTHS students had to say about this amazing night!
Michelle Rodriguez (Senior): “The event was amazing! It was so good to see everyone have a good time after two years of being virtual!”
Gianna Lombardi (Junior): “I am so happy we were able to have BotC this year since we weren’t able to have it last year. Being able to cheer on your grade and feel a type of competitiveness between the other grades was something that was missed by all of us.”
Kelsey Lally (Senior): “It was so much fun! I love how everyone got super competitive, especially after the past year. Being a senior during BotC was a whole new experience as well.”
Nicolette Magliozzo (Sophomore): “It was such a great experience, everyone was so fun, and I can’t wait for next years!”
Valentina Colabelli (Freshman): “I know for my team and I it was the highlight of our freshman year. It was a lot of fun to hangout with all these people and it was a great memory. We had a great experience and I would love to have the opportunity like this again next year.”
Michael Marion (Sophomore): “The energy way great, really made the event. All of the time and effort we put into it paid off and it was so fun. I’m definitely going to go again next year!”
Jaelyn Minniear (Sophomore): “It was a very rewarding experience. It was nice to get so close with people I’ve never really talked to before and to see all of the time and effort put into it pay off!”
