Girls volleyball takes revenge on their teachers in the North Gym

On Friday, Sept. 22 the North Gym was flooded with an eager audience of Samo students waiting to watch their teachers go up against the highly trained girls volleyball team. The volunteer teachers planned to play three games, one against varsity, the second against junior varsity and the last against the frosh-soph team. Although the teachers ultimately lost all three games, the day was an entertaining way to bring Samo teachers and students together.Teachers often are only able to see the academic side of their students, so this relaxed athletic environment allowed them to connect in a totally separate setting. English teacher Pete Barraza seized the opportunity to interact with his students on the court instead of in the classroom.“I think it’s always a great opportunity to connect with the academic sports community, because we teachers don’t really ever get a chance to do that,” Barraza said. “To see students outside of the classroom doing other things they love and that they compete in is great. It’s just a really nice, friendly atmosphere, and a real celebration of the community.”It wasn’t only exciting for the teachers to see their students working hard on the court. Students looked forward to watching their teachers leap out of their comfort zones and fool around in a less professional environment. Junior varsity volleyball player Savannah Yassin (’20) especially loved watching her teachers mess around during the game.“In the classroom we are always focused on working hard academically and getting great test scores, and it can get pretty intense,” Yassin said. “So watching our teachers laughing and hitting the ball around on the volleyball court let us see them in a whole new light.” During the games the teachers definitely surprised the crowd and their opponents by showing some real athletic skill. At first they were a little shaky, but by the final game versus the frosh-soph team they began to hold their own. The score was close and the audience was on the edge of their seat rooting for both teams. Ultimately, all three games resulted in a win for girls volleyball, but spirits were high the entire duration of the sets. Sophomore Izzy Pernoll (‘20) jokes about how much fun the entire team had.“I loved playing!” Pernoll said. “It’s fun to watch the teachers struggling on the court, just like I struggle in their classrooms.”