Ancient Greece comes to Glenwood Junior High

By SAMANTHA PHILLIPS

sphillips@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

Glenwood Junior High resembled ancient Greece on Friday, with teachers donning togas and students competing in chariot races and javelin throws.

The annual Glenwood Greek Olympic games have taken place at the middle school since 2010.

About 350 students participated in the 21 contests this year.

Students learn about ancient Greece’s influence on modern culture in social studies class before the games.

Carlo Cordon, seventh-grade social studies teacher, said the game was created to replicate classroom lessons about ancient Greece.

“We wanted some kind of enrichment activity about what they’re learning in the classroom, and to have some fun as well,” he said.

First there was an opening ceremony in which students replicated lighting the Olympic torch, using paper “torches."

Then the games began, including the chariot race, which consisted of students racing on scooters; and the javelin throw, in which students threw swimmingpool noodles weighed down with a small pipe.

Team Athens emerged victorious with 10 points; Syracuse won six points; Sparta won three points, and Thebes won two points.

The games ended with a closing ceremony, in which a student planted an olive seed in the school courtyard garden for peace. He dedicated the seed to the god of Mount Olympus, or in this case, science teacher Scott Lenhart in a toga.

Sixteen teachers helped host the event, dressing up and leading the games. Cordon said the teachers’ involvement made the event a success.

“The kids were so into it, they were very responsible, and very receptive to the idea,” Cordon said. “It was a very good, positive moment for the kids.”

Each student who won first place in an event received a gold trophy, and their team won a point. Team Athen’s championship trophy will rotate between classrooms.

Along with Cordon, teachers Sherri Mangapora, Eric Diefendurfer, Tom Basita and Ian Head helped coordinate the games.