Moorestown High School hosted a new event that featured games, laughs and gave students a chance to enjoy each other’s company. Quaker Games took place on May 27 for all grade levels, and the festivities were a way for classmates to take a breather from the last few weeks of studies.
“Right now, we’re having state testing, which for a lot of students can be extremely stressful doing two hours of testing in the morning and then going into a regular school day, at least classes,” said Steve Hansen, senior class vice president. “We figured this could be a fun, little brain break almost, for the students to have at the end of their week.”
Hansen and Alex Bernstein, senior class president, explained that the event is like the annual pep rallies, minus the competitive part. Quaker Games had a tropical theme and students played games such as musical chairs, cornhole and a bigfoot walk. A school-wide group picnic also took place right before the main event, and Bernstein explained why it was held at the end of the school year versus sooner.
“It’s something new that we introduced this year because last year when we did the pep rally, it was at the end of the year because we couldn’t do it at the beginning of the year because of Covid restrictions,” he said. “A lot of students really liked that. It was a really fun way to kind of unwind as the year comes to an end, so we wanted to do something in the spirit of that.”
This is Bernstein’s second year on student council and Hansen’s first. Hansen explained how the end of senior year is fast approaching for him and Bernstein.
“I think I speak for both of us; we’re kind of getting to the end of some of our classes and kind of realizing, ‘Uh oh, this is the end,’” he said. “(It’s) definitely bittersweet, but we’ve had a lot of fun.”
Bernstein noted how the community has made his high school experience memorable.
“Moorestown (is) a really great place and Moorestown High School (is) a great place and there’s a lot of great people here and a lot of great kids,” he said. “It’s a very, I think, a special place and really has helped me personally grow and develop myself … it’s definitely very bittersweet as Steve said.”
Since students missed out on participating in group activities due to the pandemic, Hansen emphasized how Quaker Games has brought a wave of excitement to the school.
“I think this year it’s all about trying to spend as much time together as we can,” He said. “Which is why we’re having a lot of these events so that every chance we get that we can be in the same place together and have fun and do these activities is awesome.”
Coming to the end of their high school career, Bernstein and Hansen both described what they are anticipating before graduation.
“ … It’s to have those final bonding moments with your peers and there’s the Quaker Games, there’s the senior picnic, there’s senior recognition night … there’s so many fun things at the end of the year that really put a good cap on our senior experience,” Bernstein said.
“I think it’s just about; we’re all realizing that our time here unfortunately is kind of coming to an end,” Hansen said. “But we’re all excited to make the best of this last little bit of time because it’s important.”
