In the spring, Blue Valley hosts its annual seniors vs. faculty challenge. Because of COVID, the competitions have now been spread out — their first being cornhole.

“Since freshman year I have always wanted to be a part of [seniors vs. faculty challenge],” senior Jilian Powell said.

Powell, who has played cornhole since she was young, played against teachers Ryan Mahoney and Andrew Reeves in the morning on Nov. 20.

“Cornhole is a great challenge because your friend gets to be your teammate,” Powell said. “It is hard to play because it requires a lot of hand-eye coordination.”

No amount of eager volunteering could erase the obvious safety guidelines that needed to be heavily enforced this year. The boards were lined up throughout three sanctions and the overall challenge lasted a week with certain days to sign up, making it a less at-risk activity. Some played before school, like Powell, or after school.

“It got me moving in the morning so when I went to class I wasn’t as tired,” Powell said. “It was really fun.”

Games only went on for five minutes, and whatever team had the most points by the end of time, won. Unfortunately for Powell, she lost 11-2.

“I was kind of bummed, but it was fine,” Powell said. “I got to see teachers that I normally wouldn’t see anymore because of COVID [since] they teach underclassmen.”

Now being back in virtual learning, the future for the seniors vs. faculty challenge remains unknown.

“At least I got to do one thing, especially because we don’t know how long we’ll be virtual,” Powell said. “It was one of the few activities that has been catered just for seniors.”

With school going back and forth virtually and with the regulations that have had to make for the coronavirus, Powell said she felt lucky being able to just participate in one activity.

“Since freshman year, you get excited to do all your senior traditions, but I feel like our class has been able to connect more because of our shared experiences regarding COVID,” Powell said. “I am grateful for the teachers and staff that have tried to keep alive traditions.”