At Provost Elementary, Field Day begins long before students step onto the grass, line up for a relay, or race beneath a bright parachute tarp.
It begins– and ends– with sixth graders.
A Longstanding Student Tradition
For more than 50 years, Provost’s oldest elementary students have led Field Day for the rest of the school. They plan the stations, prepare the games, give directions, manage rotations, and help younger students through each activity. Teachers are present, but the sixth graders run the entire day.
The responsibility earned through tradition is exactly why the district celebrated Provost's 6th Grade Field Day as May’s Magic Moment.
Diverse Activities and Station Management
Across the school, students moved through stations built for every age and grade level. There were football and soccer activities, obstacle courses, ultimate frisbee, dance and comedy competitions, chair games, and classic activities for younger students, including duck duck goose. Each station had sixth graders out front, explaining the rules and helping the next group get started.
Principal's Perspective on Student Leadership
Principal Tricia Biggs said she first learned about the tradition when she arrived at Provost and asked what help was needed for Field Day. Sixth grade teacher Mr. Sprunger, who has helped carry the tradition for many years, gave a simple answer: the sixth grade had it covered.
“I was so impressed,” Biggs said. “And every year, I’ve continued to just be more impressed because they really do do it.”
Developing Real-World Leadership Skills
Students work in groups of three or four. “They organize the materials. They lead the games,” says Biggs, and, watching students, you can see them solving small problems in real-time over logistics, behavior, time management. They explain, encourage, redirect, and keep things moving. For many students, it is one of the first times they are asked to lead a large group of younger children in a real schoolwide setting.
“The biggest thing is they are able to see themselves as leaders,” she said.
Impact on Student Growth and Confidence
That leadership matters for every sixth grader. It especially matters for students who may not always see themselves that way. Biggs said she loves watching students who sometimes struggle to find their voice, or students who may have struggled with behavior, step into a leadership role and guide a classroom of younger students through a game.
“They step up to the responsibility,” Biggs said. “They just go with it, and they do such an amazing job.”
Inspiring Future Generations of Leaders
Field Day also gives younger students something to look toward. Kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders see a future role waiting for them. Students learn that sixth grade at Provost comes with responsibility, trust, and service.
Provost is a school with deep traditions, and Field Day is one of the clearest examples. The day is fun, loud, active, and full of movement, but its purpose reaches beyond the games. It teaches leadership by giving students the chance to lead. It builds school pride by letting students carry something forward. At Provost, tradition is a culture-maker.
“We are Cougar Strong here at Provost,” Biggs said. And, on Field Day, sixth graders showed exactly what that Cougar Strong means.
