Angie Adams, center in white capris, with fellow faculty members.

Upper School Math Teacher Angie Adams ’09 describes what Field Day means to her from the perspective of once being a student competitor and now as faculty member:

“There’s energy around Field Day that electrifies AFS. As a student, on the night before Field Day, you are on the hunt for everything Blue or White that you own. It doesn’t matter if it is a sock, shoe, bracelet, makeup, anything that will show your loyalty to your team. Then, when you walk into school, in that moment only two colors exist in the world — Blue and White.

“However, now I realize there is a whole other color that we, as students, neglected to acknowledge. The TEACHERS! How could we have been so naïve? The teachers are deep wells of collective wisdom and knowledge. They watch as teams compete, but hold the secrets to winning. They have watched and created years of cooperative games and understand what it takes to win. They eliminate all blue and white clothing for the day and stand in unity as one teacher body.

“It’s the day where you and your friends unleash your competitive spirit together. However, we always know, no matter how many points you win, it will always be a good old “AFS Tie.” There’s a unifying and underlying message and tradition in these “AFS Ties.” As a student, sometimes, you miss how these ties unify us as a community. After a day of competing, sweating and screaming, we are all one.

“I have had the privilege of having lived through this rich tradition, and each year having a different place on the field to be — as I am in a different place in my life. My perspective of Field Day continuously evolves. I’m blessed to watch the students I teach have a chance to unite and compete. I have a chance to watch leaders rise and students encourage and build up their fellow classmates. Field Day unifies and builds our community — one person, one grade, one division at a time. The collective energy contributes to what we know as true: AFS is a loving and caring place and we are all part of building something bigger.”