By Hayden Sampson

Middle schoolers are crazy. There is absolutely no doubt about it. Having been a middle schooler myself, I can attest to that. Middle schoolers all in one room, for almost 12 hours in total? That seems insane. And it probably would be if not for Activities Director Mr. Lambros, and the multiple parent and student volunteers invested in making this happen.

Placed at the Tempe Prep gym, the night of the lock-in was full of exciting events such as beachball volleyball, dodgeball, capture the flag, and of course pizza. As laid back as they began, some of these events gained an inter-grade rivalry, and some serious athletes showcased their talents . For example, the eighth grade boys came out with a definite win in volleyball. However, when it came to dodgeball, the underdog seventh graders made a stong showing, defeating both eighth grade and sixth grade multiple times, only losing once. Last was capture the flag, where it got down to the wire, with a last minute score by the seventh graders to put the game away.

With all this in the books, it was time to hit the sack, and the students fell asleep to Fantastic Four. It’s safe to say the middle schoolers had a great time, with Mr. Lambros to thank. Says Maya Kostov, a volunteer at the event, “Mr. Lambros put so much time and effort into the lock-in, it really is a big job for somebody to do.” Says the man himself, “The best part of the Middle School Lock-In is the students.  They come into the event with SO much energy.  It is amazing.  I totally love the way they have so much fun just hanging out with their friends.”

Although he admits having 120-plus kids in one room does get crazy, he also says the kids are, “… completely and utterly a blast on the other end.” He would also like to thank all the volunteers involved. The third annual lock-in certainly did not disappoint, and middle schoolers should definitely be excited for the year to come.