East Holmes sixth-graders meet for volleyball tournament
The action on the court was impressive, but the action in the stands was equally fever-pitched during the recent East Holmes sixth-grade volleyball tournament at Hiland High, where classmates like this Berlin Elementary crew rooted on their own teams.
Stinky Socks, Hungry Hippos, Blue Baboons, Goated Barbies, Hairless Monkeys and some other rather uniquely named quintets of teams took to the volleyball courts at the Reese Center at Hiland High School on Tuesday, March 5, but there was so much more to the East Holmes volleyball tournament going on than just the action.
When East Holmes physical education teacher Doug Hochstetler created this sixth-grade volleyball tournament back in 2010, he never realized how big it might become.
What started as a way to get kids involved and active turned into an event that has allowed sixth-grade students from Walnut Creek, Berlin and Winesburg to interact at Hiland High and Middle School, where they will soon attend.
Hochstetler started this in 2010 with the three schools, and it was actually held at Berlin, so they only had to bus two schools in, but when the pandemic hit, he moved it to the Reese Center to spread the games and the kids out.
Hochstetler works with the students at each school, teaching volleyball rules and how to play, then creates five-player teams evenly so they will be competitive. They then play at their own schools to develop seeding, and then two round robin games are played at the Reese Center that also factor into the seeding of teams for a single-elimination tournament that featured 17 teams this year.
“I think it's fun for them to get away from their school and compete against other teams from other schools,” Hochstetler said of the format.
The past four years have been at Hiland, and the program has experienced plenty of hype and growth. In addition, it has given many youngsters a chance to experience the excitement of the Reese Center for the first time.
Hochstetler also has worked with school administration to provide tours around Hiland High and Middle School for all of the sixth-graders.
“That’s an important part of what we are doing,” Hochstetler said.
Hiland High and Middle School Assistant Principal Mark Schlabach has been part of setting this event up, providing tours around the school premises to all of the sixth-graders, many of whom have never seen either the Reese Center or the high school and middle school.
“This gives us a great opportunity to walk the kids through the school and experience what life is like here,” Schlabach said. “They’re walking through the hallways with the older kids and experiencing what next year will be like at a new facility.”
Schlabach said going from an elementary school to the middle school can be somewhat intimidating as newcomers, and it’s easy for new students to feel an uneasiness of their initial foray into junior high.
“We try to do as much as we can to help them realize it isn’t as big of a deal as they might think,” Schlabach said.
This event, coupled with the summer tours during open house, helps acclimate the students to their new world before they arrive.
In addition, the event also serves as a great time for Carrie Jones’ leadership class students to assume a role in helping with the tournament, serving as line judges and connecting with the younger students.
“This is exciting for the sixth-graders, and even my kids in the leadership class remember how excited they were in sixth grade when they participated, so it’s a wonderful chance for them to grow in their leadership abilities.
“It’s a practical way to show leadership and to do a community service,” Jones said. “We go down there in shifts, and they can give of themselves without expecting something in return while showing the younger kids how to be a good role model.”
Meanwhile, at the Reese Center, the event brings all of these sixth-graders in from the trio of schools, where they get to meet the many different students with whom they will be classmates the following fall.
“We have athletes who have already met through biddy ball or baseball, but we also have a lot of kids who haven’t met many kids from other schools, and this can create an opportunity for them to meet new friends that they might have great relationships with throughout their high school years and beyond,” Hochstetler said. “It’s a wonderful introductory time for kids to expand their worlds.”
On the court the Reese Center is packed with action, and not only are the players on the two courts working hard, but also their classmates are cheering for their schoolmates.
In that first year in 2010, a group of Walnut Creekers won the inaugural title. Hochstetler said WC has not won it since, but this year three of the four Final Four participants were from Walnut Creek, and two of them met in the finals, where Goated Barbies reclaimed the traveling trophy for WC.
“It generates a ton of excitement and competition, and it really is a fun day and a great experience for the kids,” Hochstetler said.
Thus, a simple idea of creating a fun volleyball tournament has expanded and grown into something that has become a tool on many fronts for East Holmes sixth-grade students.