May 25, 2017

Gorilla Spirit

Spirit Night 2017 was a chest-pounding, fun-filled celebration of all things Gorillas! With yummy food, school swag, festive music, and excited members of our community filling the gym, the event kicked off with a terrific Middle School dance performance that set the tone for an evening of Oakwood pride.

Faculty, staff, and student teams were the first to take the court, and in an impressive display of the adults’ athletic abilities, the faculty and staff prevailed as the men’s faculty vs. Middle School boys, women’s faculty vs. Middle School girls, and men’s faculty vs. Sheikh’s All Stars competed over a three-period game.

Junior Gorillas basketball came next, with the boys and girls each scrimmaging, much to the delight of their fans, followed by a three-point shooting contest for Elementary School students with two students taking home $25 gift cards.

The girls varsity team then hit the court in a showdown against Glendale Adventist and emerged victorious in a 49–31 win. Halftime of the girls’ game also offered the crowd a Middle School half-court shot contest that netted one winner.

An Oakwood tradition—honoring our senior athletes—was the next highlight of the evening as all senior athletes were announced and honored with the presentation of a stuffed Gorilla.

Finally, the boys varsity team faced Holy Martyrs Armenian School in what was at times a nail-biting, back-and-forth contest. Although Holy Martyrs ultimately took the game, the loss was made less painful by Matt Martinez’s amazing achievement of reaching his career 2000-point mark during the game (and, of course, by the dramatic, time-stopping, slow-motion tennis match during halftime).

Thank you to everyone who made this fantastic event such a success!