Olympics

Elementary Students Compete in their Own Olympics

The famous Olympic theme song could be heard playing at the Umatilla High School track on Thursday, May 26th. Along with the music were dozens of students dressed to represent different countries around the world. About 420 elementary students from McNary Heights participated in the annual McNary Olympics, which have been happening since 2014.

The event is for 2nd through 5th Graders. Students in 2nd and 3rd grades compete in one track or field event and students in 4th and 5th each choose two events in which to compete. Each class chooses a country to represent and does some research about the country. 

The older grades compete in the morning, then a Closing Ceremony is held where facts are read about each country. Then the younger grades compete in the afternoon. The top three winners in each event receive awards. 

Brandt Lind, McNary’s P.E. Teacher, said he is impressed with how hard many of the students work to improve their skills and times for the Olympics. “I like it that the kids overcome their fear of putting yourself out there, because many of the events are  individual and not team ones. At the end, when the students have competed, it boosts their confidence even if they weren’t the best one out there.”

Parents were welcome to attend to cheer on their children.