On May 12, most Sidwell Friends Lower Schoolers were sporting colorful T-shirts that read, “I’m smiling under this mask because it’s Field Day!”

The shirts didn’t lie.

One group of 1st graders took a water break in between racing the 50-yard dash and heading over to the potato-sack races. For some, this Field Day was a return to normalcy after last year’s festivities had to go virtual.

“Me and Sammy got Field Day in pre-K,” reported Ellie ’32. “But some people didn’t because they didn’t go here for pre-K, and we didn’t get it last year, so it’s good to do it this year.” Sammy nodded her agreement.

All over the Lower School campus, students shrieked and celebrated in the near-perfect weather. They decorated the driveway in front of the main building with chalk drawings and messages of welcome; they joined music teacher Matthew Stensrud for a rhythmic stick activity; they ran obstacle courses, tossed water balloons, and played the active video game “Just Dance,” the sounds of which echoed across the playing fields. Star the Fox ambled around offering cheers and encouragement as students jumped, ran, and tugged. A decidedly nonscientific survey suggested that tug-of-war was the favorite activity of the day, with the ever-popular parachute coming in a close second.

“I never played tug-of-war for real before this,” said Charlie ’33. “It’s really fun.”

For one group, this Field Day was especially meaningful. To best de-densify the campus and maintain physical-distancing protocols, the 4th grade has spent the last year attending classes on the Middle School campus. Lower School faculty and staff, however, ensured that they could return safely to their soon-to-be alma mater for one last hurrah.

“It was really exciting being able to see my old campus because I haven’t been here in over a year,” said Ariana ’29, who hula-hooped while chatting with a visitor. “I can tell the difference—like, I noticed shelves looked lower. I was very excited to see our old teachers and our friends from the Lower School. There are maybe some things we couldn’t do that we maybe could do before the pandemic, but Field Day has been really fun, even with the masks.”