This year, the fall and winter stings have looked different than usual. In addition to the regular varsity games, middle school students in the seventh and eighth grades played intramural games.

The Sting has always been an event to showcase varsity teams and the hard work they have put in throughout the season. But to make it an event that encompasses the entire K-12 community, there are many games and crafts for younger students.

Most of the activities, however, are for lower school students. In the fall, there are bounce houses, games, and various crafts, including sand art and keychain-making. In the winter, there are carnival-inspired games, tattoos, and a pompom-making station. There are activities for lower schoolers, but there aren’t many for middle schoolers.

While there are varsity games for middle schoolers to watch, they can be less appealing to some middle schoolers because they don’t know the people playing. When there are eighth-graders on varsity, you will often see tons of middle schoolers watching those kids’ games, even if it is not their favorite sport, because they feel a connection.

“I love to play and watch basketball, but I would much rather be supporting one of my friends who is playing,” eighth grader Zachary Johnson said.

By adding middle school games, it not only gets the players involved, but also their peers. These games also help fill the awkward time between when lower and middle schoolers get out at 2:15 and when upper school games start around 4:15.

After middle schoolers finished their scrimmages, many stayed to watch the Varsity version of the sports they played. The addition of middle school games not only helped get middle schoolers more involved in the event but also led them to stay to watch the upper school students.