You may be tempted to think these three names merely refer to the famous missionaries of the same namesake. Well, here at Bingham, they are actually distinctions in a fierce rivalry between the three houses competing in Field Day, a two day event. Although there is no Quidditch tournament, the kids take the track events quite seriously.
Each house has a separate corner of the field where they gather and scream/chant their team name endlessly and without any real purpose other than that the other house is doing it. Like most sporting events, its either inspiring or sheer insanity. I roamed for two straight days, and nabbed a bunch of photos and some solid footage. The kids enthusiasm was staggering. Even the kids who could not jump rope to save their lives were ecstatic simply to compete.
One of the last events on Saturday was a long distance relay, and one of the students with cerebral palsy took the baton second in the lineup. He walks around with arm/leg braces but as he had told me earlier, "I wouldn't stay out here if I wasn't going to race." As he struggled past me, I fought away a crushing sensation: the determinism in his eyes was undiluted, raw, intense. For the race, he had put down his arm crutches. As the other teams lapped him, most of the kids in the infield jogged/walked beside him. I dont think anyone even noticed when the other team won the race. When he crossed the line, the place went up in a roar. I am glad to be at Bingham.
DC
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