Turkey Tourney!

On November 17 and 18, seventh-grade and eighth-grade homerooms gathered in the gymnasium for the ultimate competition of intense volleyball action! The Turkey Tourney was a friendly competition that determined which homeroom had the best team, who would then, earn bragging rights for the year.

When we interviewed Olivia Espinosa, an eighth-grader about why she wanted to play, she said that she wanted to represent her homeroom. There is clearly plenty of homeroom pride running rampant in eighth grade. When we asked Gerard Auclair the same question, he responded with a simple, “I don’t know.” He was just... there. Yeah, we don’t get it either. One student thought that Mr. Lizarraga’s class would win because there are many good volleyball players in his homeroom. Two other eighth-graders thought that Mr. Casarella’s or Ms. Troxell’s would win, although they did not provide a further explanation. As it turns out, no one guessed correctly! The eighth-grade winner of Turkey Tourney 2016 was Ms. Aponte’s class. Ms. Aponte is a new teacher this year, was this skill, or just beginner’s luck?

The seventh-graders, however, didn’t really want interviews, and weren’t nearly as excited as the eighth-graders. Most said that they came to have fun. Katie Lister said, “I want to make my homeroom proud!” Brandon King, on the other hand, said, “I want to do it because my friends are doing it.” When we further questioned Katie on who the MVP of her team was, she responded with, “Dominic Cassarino is the MVP of my team, but everyone helps out!” Two interviewees said they thought Ms. Nuccio’s homeroom would win, but they were disappointed to find out that Mrs. Bonini’s homeroom was, in fact, the winner.

The Turkey Tourney is a fun event that draws in many participants from both grades. Even though there can only be one winner, everyone at IAR played amazing. Hopefully next year’s tourney will be just as popular as this year’s!