South Haven Elementary School fifth-graders in teacher Aaron Schnarr’s class won bragging rights in the tug-of-war tournament during a joint field day at Saylor Elementary School.

Both schools are located on Midway Drive in the same large subdivision. Many of the kids at the two schools know each other, especially those who go to the South Haven Boys & Girls Club.

Both schools also share a physical education teacher, Adam Alaniz, who decided to have the two schools share a field day at Saylor, which has a far bigger lawn for the events. Between the two schools, he has about 500 students.

“This is our first year doing it like this,” Alaniz said.

Events included limbo, sack race, tire roll, tug-of-war, pizza box relay, rock paper scissors, baseball, obstacle course and more. There was also a scream race, where the runners have to scream the entire time. Those who stop screaming have to stop running.

Field day is a fun end-of-the-year activity, Saylor Principal Michelle Hellwege said. “They’re just silly, and it’s fun to watch them.”

The dunk tank was a new event this year. “I think that is super fun. The kids love it,” she said.

Ea’mya Fitzpatrick, a Saylor fifth-grader, was one of the people who got a surprise shower at the dunk tank when a fellow student hit the target and released a shower of water on her. “I was kind of nervous because I was wondering if the water was cold,” she said. “It was warm, kind of refreshing.”

Karen Mesarch, a third-grade teacher at South Haven, watched the kids try to carry stacks of pizza boxes in a fun race. It’s not only fun but also educational.

“It takes a lot of coordination to see how many you can get stacked,” she said. “They use their problem-solving skills.”

“They do really well putting it all together,” she said.

Hannah Rhoades, a paraprofessional at South Haven, watched kids as they played tag with pool noodles. “I see them do it in the gym all the time,” she said. “They love to burn off energy.”

“I know how important it is to stay active,” Alaniz said, so starting the habit when kids are young is important.

“Every year, I start around January to plan something,” he said. “It’s fun for the kids. They love it.”

JJ Lee, one of the South Haven fifth-grade tug-of-war winners, talked about his team’s victory. “I was hard at the start, but we were able to pull hard,” he said.

“Plus he promised us no homework,” he said, referring to his team’s classroom teacher, Aaron Schnarr.

“Our secret is we have the super strong people in the back,” JJ said.

Jazzlyn Besaw, one of his classmates, was likewise proud. “We’ve technically always won,” she said.

Amaya Tate, another teammate, said, “I actually love doing it. I’m mostly in the middle. We pull, and we step back,” she said.

Alaniz was pleased with the joint field day. “I thought it was awesome,” he said.

There were a few injuries along the way, but that’s normal for phys ed, he said.

Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.