Quaker Games is a cherished tradition at Sidwell Friends Upper School, offering students in grades nine through 12 a unique opportunity to foster camaraderie and forge interpersonal connections.
Established several years ago, the Quaker Games have evolved — similar to English Class Dodgeball — into a beloved ritual for students across all grade levels, marking a period of excitement and engagement from the middle of February until the academic year’s end.
Each year, Quaker Games operates with rotating targets and weekly eliminations, creating an atmosphere filled with anticipation and strategy. As a part of this rotation, a list is compiled of students who have eliminated the most participants, with many of them unlocking new tiers that make getting people out easier. For example, after eliminating two participants, a student can place a sticker not only on their target’s hand but anywhere on their target’s body. This system of rotation and friendly competition encourages students from different grades to mingle, enhancing a sense of community and promoting new friendships.
Junior Maina Vaidya, a student government representative, described it as a “fun tradition” and said she loves it because “[i]t’s a great way for people to interact across different grade levels and talk to new people. It’s also a great way to foster community and healthy competition.”
When Quaker Games begins, Upper School students receive an email containing the identity of their designated target. The objective for the students is to place a sticker on the back of their target’s hand. From then on, students must eliminate at least one target per week to remain in the game. If a student fails to eliminate anyone for the first three weeks, they are automatically out.
Following the launch of Quaker Games, many students employ strategies to successfully eliminate their assigned target. Some students log onto the Sidwell directory to find their target, or as Vaiya told us, “check the target’s schedule and ask friends if they have classes with the target.” Freshman Maggie Kendall explained that in order to get her target out, she “gave them a pencil to sign into a class, and when they were writing down their name [she] got them with a sticker.”
A student who wants to remain anonymous for strategic purposes said their strategy is “not telling others who my target is while picking the times that the target and I are in the same space.”
They added, “In my opinion, the essential elements that contribute to a successful game include surprise — your target doesn’t know who you are so won’t suspect you; rapidness — the action is done immediately, so there is no chance that they will say ‘I see you’; and simplicity — there are no elaborate displays of you getting people together to get your target out. Simplicity and surprise are intertwined.”
Each week, some students choose to withdraw voluntarily to avoid targeting their friends, while others actively attempt to eliminate their assigned targets during the school day. Some strategize by identifying their target’s class schedules and waiting in nearby classrooms to eliminate their targets as they exit. Others may follow their targets until they leave the designated safe zones.
Additionally, Quaker Games exhibits parallels to the Quaker SPICES of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equality and stewardship. Kendall believes that Quaker Games closely ties with the Quaker SPICES of “community, because it allows you to meet other people in various grades.”
Vaidya believes that Quaker Games ties with the Quaker SPICES “integrity and community” as she described that “sometimes there are disputes between players about where/whether an elimination occurred. Since we don’t witness eliminations, it’s crucial that students remain honest about what happened. This also relates to the community and ensuring that everyone can participate in the fun.”
While one student may see the game as an art of simplicity, another may have a different opinion. Kendall believed the games are a refreshing contrast to Sidwell’s demanding workload. “It requires strategy and since it spans over a period of time and makes each day more exciting,” she said.
Regarding student enthusiasm, Vaidya said that “the freshman and seniors tend to be the most enthusiastic about the game and persistent in wanting to win.”
Amidst a rigorous workload of academic assignments and extracurricular commitments, the Quaker Games offer a friendly competition among Sidwell students. These events enhance the school community by fostering spirited competition and encouraging active participation.
