Written B: Zach G., Group A Student
Here at Keswick School, students work on sportsmanship to lift each other up. This past Wednesday, July 31, 2019, the students of Keswick School participated in the annual boat regatta and swim meet. Throughout the July summer session, students built wooden boats in shop class. Some students designed their boats to be fast, some for design, and others for displaying their creative imaginations. Some designs that students created included a starfish, a skate park, and even Noah’s Ark. Some artistic designs include a bear, an icicle, and a shoe. All of these designs were created with a passion for the art of wood shop.
The regatta was kicked off by the shop teacher, Stewart Stevens. He welcomed everybody to the annual boat regatta. He explained that there would be five heats in which students would race their boats. In each heat there would be 10 students, with the winner advancing to the final heat. Each of the heats were full of suspense. Every participant wanted their boat to win and go on to the final heat. Unfortunately some boats stopped halfway and some even started curving away from the finish line. One even proceeded to flip over and stall. Ironically it was Noah’s Ark. In the end four students went on to the final heat. Out of these four contestants one proceeded to plow through the water, and it was a boat called, “The Archer.” It was the only boat to reach the other side of the pool. There were also some other awards given to students. The staff voted for best design and best paint job. The best design went to the owner of the (recently flipped) Noah’s Ark. The best paint job went to Spencer A for a Jackson Pollock inspired design.
Following the regatta was the swim meet hosted by the athletic teacher, Adam Minton. Each summer session, the students of Keswick School learn and improve their swimming skills. The point of the swim meet is, according to Adam, not to be better than others but to show what students have learned. As with the regatta, there were different heats. The heats were separated by different swimming forms, such as freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly. In each heat students would race each other in a friendly competition. Students that were waiting for their next race were encouraged to cheer on the other swimmers. After the main heats, swimmers would compete in a relay race. All the students put a lot of effort into supporting each other, creating a really enjoyable environment. To culminate the events each student got a Gatorade and a new memory to share at home or with friends.
