Powderpuff was always known as a fun activity to look forward to during Homecoming week, but this year the powderpuff game came with grade-level inclusivity for an important cause. 

“We wanted to make it a separate event so that students had something to look forward to in November,” said Mrs. Rosenthal, RV’s Student Activity Coordinator. “When it’s done at Homecoming, only juniors and seniors get to play, so we wanted to open it up to all grades and make it a more school-wide event.”

The event also served as a charity event, as entrance was either $3 or two canned food donations.

“We are restocking the food pantry for [RV Student Against Hunger], and for the donations that they provide to the families in our sending district,” said Mrs. Rosenthal. 

In previous years, the games were only between seniors and juniors after the homecoming parade and skit night. But this year, the game incorporates all grades, plus a faculty team, all in its own night. The new event was nicknamed “The Turkey Bowl,” as it fell right before Thanksgiving break. The games consisted of two ten-minute halves and a five-minute halftime. 

Teams were made up of primarily girls, with many boys as cheerleaders on the sidelines. Students had the role to serve as a coach to help lead their team to a win. The game had referees including RV’s own Coach Lucas, Mr. McHugh and Coach Shilling. Meanwhile, in the announcers booth, were RV students, including senior Samir Barber, called the plays.

The first event was a freshman vs sophomore game, where the freshmen came with a strong 24-0 win against the sophomores. The freshman team coach was freshman Nick Pointkoski while the sophomore coaches were Katie Dick and Anna Hamiltion. 

The next game was seniors vs juniors, where the seniors came to a 14-0 game against the juniors. The senior coach was Kevin Burr while the juniors were coached by Malachi Castle, Andrew Meyer, and Jake Icconich. 

Many students were excited to take part in the event for the first time, including junior Sabrina Paz.

“I watched [Powderpuff] in past years and always thought that it was really fun, so I wanted to join and be a part of it,” she said.

The next game was the high anticipated senior vs freshman game. Last year the class of 2023, (this year’s seniors), won the game and beat last year’s seniors (class of 2022). Many seniors were eager to keep their winning streak alive. However, the game ended in a huge upset after the freshmen beat the seniors 13-8. The rookies of the game won, although many seniors noted that key seniors that were meant to play in the game had other commitments and could not attend. 

Still, many seniors were able to enjoy the game. 

“It’s fun to get yourself involved in the school,” said senior Sarah Paulin. “A lot of my friends were doing it so I was super interested in spending more time with them.”

The last game was a freshman vs faculty game that included RV teachers such as Ms. Saiia, Ms. Bookwalter and Ms. Perkins as the QB. The score stayed close throughout the whole game, but in the end, the freshmen beat the faculty team 13-12. The freshman players were all awarded with medals. 

This year’s Powderpuff may not have been what students are used to, but it turned out to be a lot of fun and for a great cause.