Picquetuing is a game invented a long time ago by Mr. Stathis and his brothers when they were young. It is a game played at which anyone can develop the skills necessary to be a Champion, or at least feel good enough to be able to win sometimes. Each game with a competitor goes rather quickly, and students keep a score of how many "wins" they acquire during the time allotted. Students "earn" the right to play on a Friday, by getting a 100% A+ on their Spelling Test on Thursday, and then play while the others, who didn't get 100%, have to retake the test on Friday. This creates an extra incentive to really "Strive for Excellence!"
Every 6 or 7 Weeks, however, EVERYBODY gets to play in a Tournament, just as long as he or she did his/her homework each night that week. The Tournaments were great fun for everyone. Once defeated as one moved through the Tournament Braket, then you get to play for fun with others also knocked out.
Here's how to play. 2 kids pair-up to compete. Each has 3 Nickels. One student is Heads and the Other Tails. At the start they place their 3 nickels on their side, one in the middle and 2 in each corner. Heads goes first.
The goal is to shoot your Nickel at the other person's and knock his or her Nickel off the table. If you hit, and whether you knocked one off or not, you get to go again before your opponent shoots at you!
You can do "Strategy Shots" to move your nickel closer or run away without aiming to hit the other off. No hit, then the turn goes to the other person. Whoever has a Nickel left on the table is the winner, and gets a point. Then you find someone else who is waiting to compete for another match!
Every 6 or 7 weeks, as was said in the introduction a Bracket Tournament was made. Here, Santiago is playing Christian in the finals of the Bracket. For th FINAL, the desk is move to the center and everyone sits around to watch and honor the competitors!
Mr. Stathis always taught us and we all agreed: "Honor someone who beats you in a fair competition....just as you'd feel good to be honored if you won! Go Veronica!"
Veronica won this Bracket Tournament!
Here's how you "Win the Crown!" in Classroom 16: On the weekly championships, those who played on Friday because they got the 100% A+ on their Spelling Test on Thursday, played for points. The top 6 or 8 point-getters then play a mini-tournament. The winner of the Friday Tournament gets the Champion's Crown, the honor to keep and wear it the whole next week! Here Marquise was Champ!
The last week's Crown Winner "crowns" the new Champ in a little ceremony and all the class honors the new Champ with applause.
Students work hard to study to get the 100% A+ and then practice hard to be a Picquetuing Champ!
Nice going, Marquise!
Christian won the big Tournaments several times. He had an advantage because when he was little his brother was in Classroom 16 for 2 years and that brother taught him how to play even before he got into Classroom 16 himself!
Kimberly did it! Whoa!
She was SO HAPPY, and everyone was happy for her!
She practiced Spelling at home with her Mother, and Piquetuing with her Father!
"I Crown you the new Picquetuing Champion!"
"I did it! ...Classroom 16 is toooooo fuuuuunnnnn!""
"Come on, everybody. Let's lift-up this new champ!"
