A Win for School Spirit & a Touchdown for Charity

“The Big Game” – A new tradition

“Madeira Football,” reads one of the most popular school store sweatshirts. “Over 100 years and still undefeated.” This crowd-favorite item highlights a peculiarity at a girls’ school: Does the absence of a football team mean no traditional Homecoming game? As Madeira students often do, they used their passion and creativity to start a new tradition that not only celebrates our School but gives back to the community as well.

“The Big Game,” a flag football game between the different grades, started out as the “Powderpuff Game” in spring of 2018. There was a desire among students to create an event that would bring the Madeira community together in school spirit. Thus, the Powderpuff Game was born, giving students the opportunity to play on the field or cheer on their classmates, with a spirited halftime performance featuring the Dance Team.

The tradition went dormant throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing precautions until the Class of 2022 revamped the idea. The Big Game, as we now know it, was reborn in the fall of 2021. The student Heads of School wanted to foster school spirit and bring the community together after so many months of physical and emotional distance. They recognized that, though they’d been able to learn community members’ names and get to know each other when they were underclassmen, this was not as easy in pandemic times. So, they took action.

Student leaders wanted to generate excitement for the upcoming Homecoming dance and recognized that a football game was a huge part of this weekend at other schools. Initially they went with the traditional label of “Powderpuff,” but as the leaders kept asking students, “Are you excited for the big game?,” the name ended up sticking. From then on, we’ve celebrated The Big Game.

A Spirited Event

The tradition is now a much-anticipated, highly spirited event. In the beginning, each grade level was assigned a specific color to wear, drawing on anything in their closets that suited the theme. Later, students took a more DIY approach, crafting team shirts with markers and paint. In recent years, the Dean of Student Life and Culture office has created official Big Game shirts, uniting us in school spirit. This fall, classes had the opportunity to bond during tie-dye events as they donned their assigned class colors. Many community adults also got in on the fun!

This annual event does more than bring our campus together. It offers students a way to give back to the community at large. Each year, students have the opportunity to make a donation when picking up their Big Game t-shirts. The class that wins The Big Game gets to vote on which charitable organization will receive
the donations.

Rallying the Whole Community

The Big Game, which includes parent spectators and food provided by the Madeira Dads’ group, allows our entire campus family a chance to let loose and spread joy. “I love refereeing The Big Game because it means I get to be in the middle of one of the most energized days of the year,” shared Lucy Pollard, Dean of Teaching and Learning. “Our students are so competitive and so enthusiastic in trying to win for their grade, and that makes the day incredibly fun.”

Enthusiasm for this new tradition is shared by the student body as well. “For me, The Big Game is all about memories, laughing with my friends, losing my voice cheering, and feeling that rush of excitement and pride when our class steps onto the field and wins,” said Jasolyn Spears ’27. “It’s the kind of moment you never forget.”

Now, in the fifth year of its new life, The Big Game has become an integral part of the student experience here at Madeira. Head of Boarding, Mia Adams ’26  summed it up perfectly, “It was a great bonding moment for the class, and I didn’t want to miss out!”