PHOENIX, Ore — The Phoenix-Talent School District held its second annual PTS Mini Olympics Thursday. Bringing together staff from across departments for a day of friendly competition and team bonding.
The event featured four teams representing the district’s PTS facilities, food service, transportation services, and the district administration’s office. Each team showcased their spirit with custom names and matching T-shirts.
Jon McCalip, Director of Facilities for Phoenix-Talent School District said “It was such a hit last year. It brought my team closer, but also strengthened our relationships with our partners. We were able to work together more closely this year.”
The event was organized by McCalip, and made six games for the event such as the egg toss, hula hoop ring toss, tug of war, badminton golf shootout, pickleball high and egg/spoon race. The main goal of the mini olympics is to build camaraderie and boost morale as staff prepare for the new school year.
“It’s just the camaraderie. As we begin the year, it’s easy to get caught up in the grind. This is a nice way to start off and reset.” said Brent Barry, Superintendent of Phoenix-Talent School District.
Superintendent Brent Barry also took part in the games and emphasized the importance of community within the district.
“Running and being part of a public school presents its challenges,” Barry said. “But this is the kind of stuff you remember. When you compete and have fun together, it makes some of the tough things a little easier.”
In the end, it was the District Office team that took home the gold.
Oscar Rodriguez is a multimedia journalist at NewsWatch 12. You can reach Oscar at orodriguez@kdrv.com.