Ridgeview’s Midday Madness event combined sports and student safety for two schools northeast of Bloomington-Normal.
Ridgeview High School hosted Flanagan-Cornell for boys and girls basketball on Friday. Rather than play after school, the school in Colfax hosted its conference rival during the school day, giving middle and high school students from both schools a chance to learn an important lesson and have some fun.
Ridgeview alum Ben Tracy, who ran more than 3,000 miles across the U.S. to raise awareness for safe practices for children online, spoke to students, staff and community members attending from both schools. The speech was followed by student body activities, like a version of cornhole played with massive beanbags and trash cans, to be played between the two schools. Then the schools faced each other in officially sanctioned games of girls and boys basketball.
Tracy discussed cyberbullying, drug dealing and other abusive habits done on social media every day. He also challenged students to work to limit the amount of time they spend on personal devices each day.
Several high school students thought Tracy’s words were especially important for the middle school students in attendance.
“I think it will teach a lot of kids about cyber bullying. Not a lot of kids, especially younger kids, they don't know about all that stuff,” said Zane Hoffman, a Ridgeview junior.
Tracy explained how apps like Snapchat, an app for which the ages in attendance at the event are its most captive audience, are frequented by people who are not who they claim to be. An adult could lead a victim to believe the person they are talking to is their age, and then solicit revealing photos. Tracy taught the audience the things they can do to avoid this form of sextortion, including to be wary of people online you have never met in-person and remember that things sent or posted online can last forever.
“I try to stay mindful anyway, but it's always nice to hear somebody else talk about it and reassure you in certain things or let you know how,” said Josephine Deuel, a Ridgeview senior.
After the speech and student body games, the basketball games were played. Ridgeview won the girls basketball game, 45-39. Soon thereafter, the boys game was played with Ridgeview winning, 49-23.
“We want to win, but at the end of the day, we just want to have fun,” said Flanagan senior Logan Ruddy.
Holding the event during school was also a popular decision among students.
“It's way better,” said Hoffman. “It still counts as a school day, but no school work, so being able to do this during the day is just awesome.”
While a night game may give better opportunity for parents to watch the games, holding a game where each student body could fill up the stands was also successful.
“It really brings all the students together,” said Kane Aupperle, a Ridgeview junior. “You can make new friends doing this because you meet kids that you don't really see ever, and everybody's here.”
