Senior Boats Set Sail for Spirit Week

The annual Senior Boat Race launched waves of school spirit to kick off Spirit Week. Each senior advisory built a boat out of cardboard, duct tape, and plastic, hoping it would hold strong and stay afloat on the journey across Polk Pond. In a series of heats, many boats tipped and floundered, while others navigated all the way across while cheers and laughter filled the air.

In the final heat, the Weidenmiller advisory, aka The Weidenmilla Killa Whales, prevailed and took home the trophy with Mac Stevens ’23 rowing as captain of the S.S. Nantucket.

Upper School World Language Teacher Kelly Weidenmiller said, “From the moment I stepped on campus as this group’s advisor in 2020, they told me they wanted to win the boat race as seniors. It was incredible to watch them brainstorm ideas, research how best to build cardboard boats, find a design for inspiration, and use math and science knowledge to adapt it all to the materials’ dimensions. Every member of the advisory contributed, and it was so fulfilling to watch them achieve the goal they had set for themselves. Watching the advisory members not in the boat run to the other end of the pond to cheer on Mac really spoke to the camaraderie of this group—it really was a team win!”

Following the race, seniors continued the tradition of jumping in and cooling off in Polk Pond.