Dodgeball tournament to help school in Kenya

International Baccalaureate diploma candidates perform project

Sumaya Mohamed

With two seconds remaining in the championship round, senior and member of team Softball Sam Garcia felt beyond thrilled when she caught the ball, winning that round for her team as well as being named MVP.

“I don’t know it is crazy. I just came here to play and have fun and I was named MVP which was awesome,” Garcia said.

Watching from the bleachers and rooting for her friends, sophomore Ilhaan Abdulle said she enjoyed the game and hopes to create a project like this in the future.

“It was very fun to watch and entertaining and (it was) for a good cause,” Abdulle said. “Once I am an upperclassmen and I have the correct resources, I would definitely do something like this.”

According to International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma program coordinator, IB chemistry teacher and member of the winning team Learn Stuff Jenny Magdal, the event yesterday helped students accomplish their creativity, activity and service (CAS) project.

“So the CAS project is creativity, activity and service. So throughout their two years, the diploma candidates are doing stuff with those things and at some point they try to figure out how to incorporate two or three of the things that they have been doing to make a larger project,” Magdal said.

Senior Karl Ordorff said his team lost in the first round, but he enjoyed participating in the event.

“It came down to the wire, it actually came down to sudden death. Each team had two players left standing and the first to get someone out won. We lost by like a hair, it was so close,” Ordorff said. “It was fun. It sucks that we lost but I had a good time.”

Having a personal connection with the cause of the event because of the conditions she grew up in, Garcia said she appreciates the thoughtfulness of the event.

“(I think the fundraiser) was awesome because I grew up in kind of in the same situation, not the best, but anything I can do to help other people, I will for sure do that,” Garcia said. “It’s awesome that they are helping them with water, because they need that.”

Ordoff said he values the cause of tonight’s event.

“I was told that the project is for building and maintaining water supplies and stuff like that over in Africa. I am glad to support something like that,” Ordorff said.

Senior and co-organizer of the dodgeball tournament Mahamed Mahamed said he hoped to have seen more people partake in the event.

“We were hoping to get a least 15 teams and have more businesses donate hoping to complete the whole project but it didn’t turn out that way. We did have seven teams but not enough donations from businesses,” Mahamed said. “I think next week we are going to focus on businesses and if we get enough money that would be awesome, but if not then we’ll continue with what we have and the project will be done.”

Magdal said her team, which consisted of all teachers, agreed to forfeit their winning prize to the runners-up, team Softball.

“We don’t need the prizes. It is much more fun seeing the students get it,” Magdal said.