As educators, we are always looking for something memorable for our students. At our school, we do not do this in the typical way. We are officially 3 times world record holders! The kids, staff, and whole community love these opportunities and the weeks leading up to and following are just as exciting as the event itself. When we host these world record-breaking attempts we do so for a purpose. Our first goal is always to create positive memories of school for our kids. We also strongly encourage high attendance on these days. My theory is that if we keep kids excited about school and wondering what might happen next (in a good way), they will come, be happy, and learn.

Last year, we broke the world record for the most high fives in 1 minute. This year we knew we had to do something big so again we started brainstorming. Our kids love playing Gaga Ball. After a quick Google search, we saw that we could host the “World’s Largest Game of Gaga Ball”. The best part about this which we didn’t realize at first was that if we had the World’s Largest Game of Gaga Ball then walking in our halls every day would be the Champion of the World’s Largest Game of Gaga Ball!

I called the facility director and told him of our plan and without any hesitation he said he would make it happen. He gathered every 8-foot White table in the district and borrowed some from the local 4h to make the World’s Largest Gaga Ball pit to host 500 competitors. To get 500 players I invited school board members, our superintendent, the PTO, local law enforcement and the fire department, the mayor, and other community members who frequently volunteer at the school. It was the perfect example of embracing the chaos. Sure, the kids were crazy, but not in a bad way, just in a way that 8-10-year-olds act when they are about to play in the World’s Largest Game of Gaga Ball!

When the game started, we had all 500 people inside the pit. We knew this would take a long time, so we started with 10 balls. We did not really have a plan or any rules, except that an adult was not allowed to win. We did not tell the students this, and all of the adults weren’t thrilled about it, but rule 1: A kid had to be the champion!

 About every 3 minutes we would shrink the pit by removing a table and taking away a ball. We weren’t sure how this would look but when you work with a bunch of great people who aren’t afraid to take charge, they figured out how to make this work flawlessly.  At the end there were about 5 students inside a makeshift 12-foot octagon with 495 students cheering their names. 

After about 40 minutes of game time we had our champion. The biggest smile I have ever seen on an exhausted face. The Mayor presented the student with the championship belt that we had specially made for this event that reads, ”Champion, Worlds Largest Gaga Ball Game PCIS 2024” On this day, we created an opportunity for a student to realize that anything is possible. We also created 500 world changers and record breakers! And saw another jump in attendance, not just for that day, but for the whole month following.

Challenge:

Think of a few things that you can do that other teachers don’t. Make your class or your school somewhere that is unlike any other. When the kids graduate, give them something to brag about.

Leave your thoughts, big ideas, or personal stories below. Maybe someone can recreate this and form amazing memories for their students!