Boulder Country Day School (BCD) celebrated the end of their global awareness week with the crown jewel: The Preschool Olympics. 

Boulder Country Day School teaches preschool through 8th grade, and on the morning of Friday, Jan. 31, students, parents, and members of the community gathered in the school gym with signs, pom poms, support, and good cheer. 

“The students are broken into groups representing different countries,” explains Diana Emerson, Director of Marketing and Alumni Relations for Boulder Country Day School. “They come in to an opening ceremony with flags and torches. They walk around and are cheered on by 400+ older students and parents.” 

Preschool classes with different colored shirts and hand-colored flags pinned to their shirts paraded around the gym, waving to parents and supportive older students. The eighth graders facilitated the Olympics, moving props and giving support as the students competed. 

Events included relays, a “marathon”, soccer, volleyball, breakdancing, and the crowd favorite of bobsledding. That was where students took turns riding in a laundry basket attached to a scooter board while the other students pushed from behind, racing across the gym floor. The teachers even took their turn at bobsledding, racing to see who the “best teachers” were. 

“It’s an incredible example of how BCD creates community. The Olympics are everyone’s favorite Friday assembly of the year,” says Diana. “Older students reflect on their time as a preschooler; it’s a rite of passage and a thrill to watch.” 

Diana explains that the Olympics culminate the school’s global awareness week, where each grade does something different to learn global lessons. The middle schoolers host a Model UN, elementary kids learn from their French and Spanish classes, and preschoolers learn about the country they represent in the games. There’s also a cultural potluck, where families bring in dishes meaningful to their family – or ones they just enjoy.  

The school, founded in 1988, cherishes this tradition, Diana says. The Preschool Olympics has run for about 15 years and embodies the school’s five values: take care of ourselves and others, explore many paths, meet the challenge, create inclusion and belonging, and be part of something bigger. 

She says there are all kinds of ways one can be a global citizen, and the preschoolers live into that, even at a young age. They come  into a community of support that is bigger than just their one building. 

But Diana says it’s so much more than just the Preschool Olympics. “Sure, it’s cute. And we think it’s fun to watch, but it is so much more than that,” Diana explains. “They are taking risks, challenging themselves, and supporting others.” The event demonstrated to the entire community the joy in learning, performing, and being a part of something bigger than oneself.