All boys. All boarding. Grades 9-12.
Fourth Formers Host Special Olympics Competition
“This year, the number of smiles that I saw and thanks that I heard make me believe that this event went off flawlessly,” said Spanish teacher Jamison Monahan about Woodberry’s annual Fourth Form Service Day on April 24, 2016, which brought a Special Olympics competition to the Forest for the fifth time. Woodberry’s entire fourth-form class, among many other student and faculty volunteers, helped organize the Sunday activities.
The 311 Olympians competed in a one of five different events. Participants registered in advance for their sport of choice. Among the contests offered were swimming, golf, baseball, bocce ball, and a number of track events. Woodberry’s Director of Health Services Tammy Firman said it was “very humbling to have the athletes thank us and to be able to see our beautiful campus through their eyes.”
After their respective sports, contestants were able to eat with their families. The competitors enjoyed the end to a tiring day over chicken barbeque sandwiches, baked beans, cole slaw, and chips served by another team of Woodberry volunteers. Around 600 visitors were on campus for the day’s events.
If you ask any Woodberry student, the lasting memory from his service day is the genuine smiles of the athletes he encouraged. All competitors enjoyed a rich sense of accomplishment from the engaged cheers of Woodberry boys. Director of Residential Life Henry Heil remembered “Nicholas playing bocce who, when given his participation medal, hugged everyone, including me, like we were the best of friends. Even in three hours, he felt a connection with our boys and with Woodberry.”
Woodberry boys and Special Olympic athletes might not remember the perfect drive down the center of a fairway or the closest bocce ball. However, no one will forget the event as a whole. Every year, boys recognize athletes from previous years who are back for more of the action and more of the fun.
Josh Staufenberg of the fourth-form class said, “I went down the hill that day not knowing what to expect. But when the competitions started, it was really fun. I left after having a good time and watching the participants have the same.”
More photos are available on the Woodberry Forest Photo Album.
By Caleb Rogers '16
Woodberry Forest School is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.
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Woodberry Forest admits students of any race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, and national or ethnic origin to all of the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sexual orientation, disability, religious belief, or national or ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic or other school-administered programs. The school is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant students.