All smiles from 2023 GCCISD 5th grade Olympiad participants Eden Moreno, Dominic Garza, Lance Jordan, Trey Cornell, Andrew Rincon, Caiden Tittel, and Ryder Pratt who pause to take a picture to remember a day full of fun and physical activity.
By Amanda Kennington, Healthy Community School Coordinator
On May 16th, 16 GCCISD elementary schools with about 560 fifth grade students participated in the fifth grade Olympiad. The elementary P.E. teachers trained a select group of students from their campus in preparation for the competition. The Athletics department hosted the event at Sultis Stadium and recruited the secondary district coaches who volunteered to bus students to the location and referee the various track and field events. “Everybody did an amazing job with every single assignment given,” Greg Smith, GCCISD Assistant Athletic Director said. “ From driving the bus, to field events, to running event..the kids had a great day and a great experience.”
Student soars through the air in preparation for the standing long jump event hosted at the 2023 GCCISD 5th Grade Olympiad.
Fans who were unable to attend the event in-person were able to watch via VYPE LIVE streaming coverage to cheer on the participants! Ashbel Smith PE Coach, Cynthia Martinez, said, “The live streaming was a hit! I was getting texts from our teachers that they could see us and were cheering us on.” An awards ceremony at the end of the event provided 328 awards to participants that earned the top six places for the 100, 200-, and 400-meter run and the 400-, 800-, and 1600-mete relays as well as field events which included softball toss, long jump, and tug of war. Crockett PE Coach, Juan Lopez, said, “The Olympiad was an overall success in my opinion. All of the kids really enjoyed the experience and the competition between all the schools.”
Highlands Elementary students earned medals at the Olympiad event. London Shaw, pictured second from the left, was later honored to receive the Jackie Williams award.
After the Olympiad, the elementary teachers were encouraged to nominate one male and one female student deserving of the Jackie Williams Award based on outstanding effort, determination, and sportsmanship as demonstrated throughout the event. Coach Jackie Williams supported the Baytown Community for many years teaching at Stephen F. Austin Elementary for her entire career. She is remembered as being a positive, kind, and caring individual with an amazing determination for student achievement. The two individual students selected to receive the 2023 Coach Jackie Williams Award were Leonardo Silva, Bowie, and London Shaw from Highlands. These students were provided with an individual plaque and their name placed on the wall of Austin Elementary with all former recipients of this honor.
Leonardo Silva, Bowie Team, was one of only two students selected to receive the Jackie Williams Award.
“I want the event to get better every year,” Lee Martinez, GCCISD Athletic Director, said. “I’m looking forward to organizing the 2024 Olympiad event as it has always been an exciting day for our kids and our community.”
San Jacinto Elementary student, Amaya Jackson, is pictured here working together with her team in the Tug of War event.