Nov. 22—Amid the roar of the crowd, sixth graders defeated the seventh graders at Austin Middle School on Friday during the iReady Turkey Bowl Challenge.
From her perch on the sixth grade side of the gym, Jazzlyn Holden said she thought the event was “fun and exciting.”
What the students were playing was basically a brain-powered game of flag football. The students earned paper “turkey” feathers for each iReady lesson they passed between Nov. 3 and 14 and the top 15 students from each grade earned an opportunity to play in the Turkey Bowl.
The goal of the event is to motivate students to complete their iReady lessons, said Principal Emily Harris.
IReady is an online educational program for students in kindergarten through 12th grade that provides personalized instruction in reading and math.
Although the Turkey Bowl is considered a traditional sporting event, it spurred an hour of near-constant screams from sixth and seventh graders in the gym.
First the sixth graders defeated the seventh graders 33-27. They then went on to play the faculty in the school gym.
“The faculty absolutely dominated,” Harris said with a laugh, noting they won 45-13. “I scored a touchdown.”
She was gracious about the win, noting the adults were so much taller and therefore could block and snag passes over their competitors.
Makenzie Brooks was on the sixth grade bench awaiting her turn to play.
“I just want to get out there and play so bad,” she said.
Kristen Telley, a special education teacher, said she enjoys the annual Turkey Bowl because “it’s a form of social inclusion and also a way for students to bond with teachers.”
Decatur City Schools’ Thanksgiving break is all next week.
— jean.cole@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2361
