An event that is often considered the highlight of the winter is the Winter Olympics. Every four years, people from all over the world tune in to watch Olympians from their countries compete against each other in popular winter sports including Bobsled, Luge, Skeleton, Ice Hockey, Figure Skating, Speed Skating, Short Track Speed Skating, Curling, Alpine Skiing, Freestyle Skiing, Snowboarding, Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Ski Jumping, and Nordic Combined. This year, the Olympics are being held in Pyeongchang County, South Korea. The Olympics have a long history, dating back to the times of Ancient Greece. The Ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia, Greece, and were part of a religious celebration honoring the Greek god, Zeus. The Modern Olympics were started in 1896 in Athens, Greece, with 241 male athletes (no women) from 14 nations. They competed in 43 events. However, these were only summer sports. The Winter Olympics were first held in 1924, including six sports. Since then, the Winter Games have grown massively, and in 2018, there are set to be 2,852 athletes competing in 102 events across 15 sports.

While people all over the world are excited for the Winter Olympic Games, PMHS (Pelham Memorial High School) is getting ready for their own olympic games! The PMHS Olympics are when the four grades in the high school go head to head in various events. Each grade gets to choose a theme. This year, the themes are: The Funky Freshmen, The Shipwreck Sophomores, The Joystick Juniors, and The Empire State Seniors. The grades all dress up as their theme, and make a poster that has to do with their theme. Some of the events include Big Bat, Badminton, Pickle Ball, Basketball, Chess, Soccer, Connect Four, Crossword, Eclipse Ball, Dodge Ball, Floor Hockey, Four Square, Frisbee, Handball, Lip Sync, Mat ball, Musical Chairs, plus many other sports and activities. Arguably the most popular event is the Silly Walk. The Silly Walk is when each grade picks a song and makes a dance to it. The PMHS Olympics are one of the best parts of the year for many high school students. The seniors usually win, but last year the Class of 2018 surprisingly pulled out victorious as juniors! Who will win this year? We will have to wait to find out.

Olympic Games are exciting and fun for all ages to watch (or participate in). Whether its the Ancient Greece, Winter, Summer, or even the PMHS Olympics, the games have always been a highlight of everyday life, and a way to unite different communities towards a common goal in a very entertaining and fun way.