Bringing High-Powered Energy: Teams Face Off at Fall Red & White

A beloved, three-decade-old Rivers tradition, Red & White blends competition and school pride. Every member of the school community is assigned to either Team Red or Team White, and the teams face off in a series of challenges. Many students and professional community members take these challenges very seriously—teams roar with applause whenever a member scores a point—yet there is always an underlying passion for Rivers as a whole. “The conflict feels akin to a fierce rivalry between two siblings who actually love each other,” said Reynoso.

As co-emcees, Reynoso and Auster-Hogan bring nonstop positive energy and creative commentary to each and every event. “My colleagues and I work as a team to make the challenges as engaging as possible for the whole school community,” Auster-Hogan said. On Monday, that evolved into channeling the energy of international football as students sprinted with abandon toward the front chair to answer prompts across a variety of categories. 

There was a lightning round during which students searched among themselves for someone wearing a soccer shirt, or someone who could say “hello” in five different languages. There were lively rounds of trivia that tested the community’s knowledge of World Cup halftime performers, flag facts, and fictional coaches like Ted Lasso, followed by high-energy games including a soccer ball-kicking relay, a head-catch contest, and Grade 12 hacky sack. Musical challenges brought out the performers who joyfully sang along to crowd favorites such as Toto’s “Africa,” Queen’s “We Are the Champions,” and Shakira’s “Waka Waka,” culminating in a multi-grade music medley in which teams were challenged to identify five consecutive songs and artists.

The event concluded with a rock-paper-scissors tiebreaker. Students merged into a scrum around each team’s representative at the epicenter, cheering as the winner was determined. 

 

Team Red won this round—another spirited competition will be held this spring—but that’s not what most participants will remember. The overall spirit of the celebration is what matters. As Reynoso put it, “It is a privilege to be part of the spectacle.”

 

View a gallery of photos from Red & White.