Every spring, the fields behind Hastings Middle School turn into a wild scene of cheering kids, tugging ropes, and staff members shouting over loud music. It is all part of a beloved tradition that has become the unofficial kickoff to summer. The annual tug of war is more than just a spirited competition. It is a student-driven fundraiser for Hastings Family Service that mixes school spirit with community giving. This year, the event raised $5,035 in just over a week. That money helps support everything from school supplies to transportation for local seniors. At the center of the fun is Cheryl Fitzgerald-McNelis, a fifth-grade teacher who launched the event 22 years ago and continues to serve as both organizer and emcee.
“We raised just over five thousand dollars in about eight days,” said Fitzgerald-McNelis, her voice still hoarse from rallying students. “The eight classes that earned their way into the competition raised thirty-nine hundred dollars just by themselves.” The top two fundraising classes from each grade level qualified for the tournament. These eight classes squared off in a series of tug of war matches that spanned just under an hour and somehow managed to pack in more excitement than most school assemblies combined.
The format is structured but electric. First, the girls from the top two classes in each grade face off. Then it is the boys. Finally, a co-ed round brings the grade-level showdown to a close. Winners from each grade then go head-to-head for school-wide bragging rights. The final round features the student champs battling a team of teachers and staff, which is usually where the most intense action happens.
Fitzgerald-McNelis laughed while recalling the mood leading up to this year's event. “Let’s just say today was a little crazy,” she said. “They were a little more squirrely today. We were like, just keep the lid on it, guys, just keep the lid on it, we’re good.”
Keeping the lid on it is easier said than done. With students showing up in coordinated outfits and music pumping across the field, it is hard not to get swept up in the chaos. Fitzgerald-McNelis as emcee, microphone in hand, works the crowd like a seasoned ringmaster, urging students to cheer louder and give it everything they’ve got. Teachers line the sidelines, equal parts supportive and nervous, especially if they have to face the student winners at the end.
Then comes the surprise, a teacher dance with the teachers in a variety of colorful costumes. This year, a lot of the teachers opted for the inflatable costumes which make the dance moves even more comical and fun.
Amy Sutton, Director of Hastings Family Service, joined the students after the matches to thank them personally.
“This is one of my favorite events,” she told the crowd. “It shows that anyone in the community can make a big impact, no matter how young they are.” Sutton explained that the money goes to a variety of programs depending on the needs at the time. That includes helping seniors get to appointments, buying school supplies for families, and offering other forms of local support.
The tug of war has been a fixture at the middle school since 2003, with only one year missed during the height of the COVID pandemic. Fitzgerald-McNelis remembered how it started when she was the student council advisor.
“The first couple times we did it, we sent the money to organizations outside of Hastings,” she said. “But after a few years, we realized there was such a great need in our own community. It made sense to keep the money here.” Since that shift, the school has raised over eighty thousand dollars for Hastings Family Service.
That total is impressive, but the real magic is in the atmosphere. Fitzgerald-McNelis pointed out that it is not just about fundraising or even the competition. It is about giving students something to rally around at the end of the school year.
“The excitement this generates for the last two weeks of school is huge,” she said. “It gives them a reason to show up and do something meaningful.”
From the outside, it might look like pure chaos, and it mostly is. But underneath the cheering and tugging is a well-organized effort that brings students, teachers, and families together. It is a celebration of energy and generosity, all rolled into one 50-minute spectacle of fun while giving back to the community at large.
If you ever get the chance to see it for yourself, go. It is loud, funny, and full of heart. And if you are part of Hastings, it is a reminder that your middle schoolers are doing more than counting down the days until summer. They are pulling for each other, literally and figuratively, in the best way possible.