On Oct. 13, Sidwell held the annual fall pep rally in the Pearson Athletic Center to promote school spirit for Homecoming. The event began with a friendly volleyball match between the Boys Varsity Soccer Team and the Girls Varsity Volleyball Team. After a close match, the girls won seven to six. According to members on the volleyball team, the pep rally was a great opportunity to let teams have fun and bring spirit to the school. 

This year, the football team returned to the pep rally after a seven year ban. Rather than doing a dance or game, which most other teams choose, the team hosted its first annual pie eating contest. Participants in this contest had to eat all of their pie before completing a full court sprint. Ultimately, freshman Sven Kramer won. Many students remarked that the football team’s pie eating contest was, although messy, very entertaining.  

Girls Varsity Field Hockey came out with an energetic dance, leading to a crowd full of laughter and cheers. Girls Varsity Tennis opened with a freshman performance of  “What Does the Fox Say” and concluded with a team routine. Girls Varsity Soccer also performed a dance and hosted a game of soccer tennis, which included both team members and crowd participants. 

F.A.N Heads then facilitated an inter-grade knockout competition, which freshman Robert Dorros won. 

The pep rally concluded with a students versus faculty dodgeball game. Although many faculty members held their own, especially Field Hockey Coach Janessa Pope, the students emerged victorious. Throughout the whole event, candy was thrown to students to raise their spirit and keep them engaged. Overall, this year’s pep rally was seen as a tremendous success and led to lots of energy schoolwide. 

Unfortunately, Sidwell’s varsity sports teams, families, and fans were greeted with bad weather on the morning of Oct. 14. Despite this, fans from Lower School, Middle School and Upper School showed up in support of their classmates, and throughout the day the weather cleared up. 

After losing two games prior that week, the Girls Varsity Soccer Team bounced back for an exciting Homecoming win. At 11 a.m., the team took on School Without Walls on the Grass Field. Their defense worked hard to get the ball away from the box, and their strong line of attack carved through the other team and scored four goals. The final result was a 4-0 Quaker victory. When asked about the Homecoming game, freshman Olivia Alves said, “we did a great job improving our mindset from the last two games and doing everything we could, and thankfully it paid off.” 

Unfortunately, the Girls Varsity Tennis Team’s matches were canceled due to the overcast weather. However, it is notable that this team has had an incredible season, as they are currently undefeated, lead the Independence School League, and ranked second in the nation. 

The Varsity Field Hockey Team took on the Academy of the Holy Cross at 11 a.m. on the Upper Turf Field. In the first half, Holy Cross scored two goals. With Holy Cross’ lead 2-0, Sidwell nevertheless maintained focus and stayed in the game. Sophomore Eppie Hughes Jennett scored a goal in the second half that renewed her teammates. Sidwell was also able to maintain possession through almost the entire second half. Overall, the game was intense and competitive , despite the Quakers’ ultimate 2-1 loss. Regardless of the result, members of the team said they were mainly focused on working together and celebrating Senior Day. 

At 11 a.m. in the Pearson Athletic Center, the Girl’s Varsity Volleyball Team took on Glenelg Country School. Although the team did not win, they worked hard; freshman Ava Ghassemi thinks that when the team is losing that is often when the “team and I put our all in.” The team played hard during each set and supported each other. Despite the 0-3 loss,  the team has shown strong resolve throughout the season and, according to Ghassemi, will enter their next game with determination.  

At 1 p.m., the Boys Varsity Soccer Team kicked off their game against Basis DC. At the beginning of the game, the Boys Soccer Team jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but Basis equalized just before halftime. Makai Wells, one of the two freshmen on the team, said that “the team had confidence all throughout the game.” Although they were tied at halftime, their mentality did not waver. He thinks that their “ability to stay focused” helped them all throughout the game and has been a determining factor through their season. The team was able to push forward and score 4 more goals in the second half, allowing them to win 5-1. 

The Football Team played the Central Virginia Disciples on the Lower Turf Field at 2:30 p.m. Despite the rain, the team persevered and stayed strong throughout the whole game. When asked about the game, senior Max Snow said, “although the first half was slow and we only scored two touchdowns, we were able to score 28 points in the third quarter.” The team played hard and won 42-0.

Overall, regardless of the outcomes, all teams represented Sidwell to their fullest extent on and off the field. However, one criticism of the weekend was that all of the girls’ games were scheduled at 11 a.m., while the boys’ games were staggered. This issue has been brought to the attention of the administration and will hopefully be addressed next year.