SHS Student News: Junior Olympics and the A-School Fair

With clear skies and temperatures hitting over 90 degrees, the Scarsdale High School Class of 2027 geared up for the yearly Junior Olympics on May 18, 2026. Every year, the friendly competition is hosted on an undisclosed, but typically sunny, day in May. Students are only told on the day of the event that it is happening, though many eagerly await the day.

Teams for the games were divided by which elementary school each junior attended, resulting in five teams: Edgewood, Fox Meadow, Greenacres, Heathcote, and Quaker Ridge. Students donned new shirts with colors and lettering corresponding to their school. If a student did not attend elementary school in Scarsdale, they were allowed to choose which team they wanted to join. Dividing students by neighborhood allowed them to catch up with their friends from years past and share old memories.

Each team had five captains, voted for by their peers prior to Junior Olympics. Edgewood team captains were Jai Chandarana, Lucas Knopp, Margot Lombaerde, Bernie Ofori, and Hunter Ross. Fox Meadow team captains were Daisy Bennett, Amelie De Cataldo, Benjamin Foster, Michael Margolin, and Lance Simon. Greenacres team captains were Lars Burrows, Caitlin Jeremiah, Ava Pappalardo, Patrick Simon, and Samuel Stahler. Heathcote team captains were Rachel Barr, Ved Dundon, Roan Forray, Aaron Lichtenstein, and Jonathan Shawn. Quaker Ridge team captains were Jacob Grossman, Lily Josephs, Eduardo Lima, Grant Marcus, and Nicolas Toosi.

Through events like capture the flag, relay races, trivia, tug of war, and steal the bacon, juniors demonstrated their teamwork and dexterity. At the end of the event, the winners of the 2026 Junior Olympics were announced. First place was earned by Fox Meadow, Edgewood took second and Quaker Ridge, third.

Several juniors shared their thoughts on how the day went:

Jonathan Shawn said, “It ran really smoothly. Everyone had fun. It was a very sunny and nice day. I brought eye black and face paint so people put that on. People were very passionate.”

Emily remarked, “It was pretty hot and you could feel it through your shoes on the turf field. It was super rowdy, but positively rowdy because everyone was hyped up.”

Raphael S. commented, “It was a great surprise. I didn't expect it at all and it was a really fun break away from the classroom especially during the peak of stress of junior year. I loved that we got to represent our elementary schools and it was very nostalgic and high energy. I liked the variety of games we had the opportunity to play and the time we got to spend outside in the wonderful weather.”

Jack Capobianco told us, “Junior Olympics was a very fun day/experience. I was very happy to have a chance to finally take part in it as a Scarsdale high school student. Being able to work and compete with people that I don’t normally as well as interact with people that I haven’t before made for an awesome experience. I really enjoyed spending time with all of my friends and class members. Junior Olympics brought out school spirit and brought our entire grade together. I enjoyed being able to work together with so many different people. This is an event that I am sure to remember for a long time.”

(Photos by Theo Kertesz and Jonathan Shawn.)

A-School Fair

Why were A-School students trying to lure cars into the A-School parking lot on Saturday? It turns out the annual A-School fair, and famous car wash, was taking place on May 16, 2026. Similar to previous years, it was composed of a car wash, games, raffle baskets, and bake sale.

All revenue from the event will be donated to an organization selected by the A-School community. This year, the Ocean Cleanup was the chosen non-profit. The organization works to remove the plastic that is already present in the water while also preventing the further flow of plastic from rivers.