On the peaceful afternoon of May 30th, the seventh-grade students swarmed onto the outside basketball court to witness the long-awaited basketball tournament between the teachers and the students.

After settling down, everyone was seated efficiently with the help of the student volunteers. It seemed to be a perfect day for playing basketball. The sky was clear and the temperature mild. The sun was nowhere to be seen, which was good news for the players who could avoid the scorching sunlight during the game.

The teacher’s team and the student’s team exchanged greetings and soon the game began. The students played hard against the teachers. Even though the students were much younger than the teachers, the teachers still did not hold the upper hand. Players dashed across the basketball court swiftly and soon, several shots were made. Some shots were rather beautiful.

Sometimes players would accidentally fall onto the crowd, but they came back into the game within just seconds. The ball flew freely at times, too, and its “victim’s” reactions often followed with joyous laughs.

Not long after the first few minutes, the sky started sprinkling water: rain was coming down. At first, there was a bit of panic among the crowd but soon, students “armed” themselves with umbrellas and raincoats. The players didn’t show a sign of hesitation and continued to play. No one was discouraged by the rain.

The students didn’t lose their passion even when the rain made playing uncomfortable. Some chanted for their friends or their teachers and many shouted “This isn’t the *teacher’s name* I know!” Students chuckled and laughed throughout the game, chatting with their friends and encouraging the players.

After the tournament, it was time for the class shooting competitions. Starting with 7-1 versus 7-2 and then 7-3 versus-7-4 and so on. Many of the participants in this activity were not just volunteering but gaining confidence in basketball while engaging in this activity, which is something very valuable.

This activity was an absolutely amazing chance for students to get to know their teachers and bond with they’re fellow students. Everyone definitely had fun playing and was able to grow through these games. Not only did the teacher and student players have fun playing, but the crowd certainly loved the experience of watching and encouraging their friends. We all loved how this CAS activity turned out; it was fun, hilarious, and also taught us a lesson about becoming better young adults.

(Written by 7(9) Breeze      Pictures by Ms. Xu      Supervised by Ms. Skallerud)