What is the Crucible?

Every year, during the first week of October, the senior boys put together the Crucible, which is an event of initiation for the freshmen into the SMA house system, as well as a much-looked-forward-to competition for all the high school boys. It is a series of running and obstacle courses, which this year included, but was not limited to, mud pits, mud tug-o-war, canoe tug-o-war, tire flips, and creek runs. All high school students had to run, jump, and crawl their way through these. But why make them do this, rather than simply having them take the academic house test? Well, I believe the Crucible teaches the high schoolers the importance of the will to push themselves beyond their limits, as well as helping them learn teamwork, integrity, motivation, and virtue. The course is hard. It’s muddy and hot, and then it’s wet and cold, and many students have been tempted to surrender to the temporary sensation of pain. The reward, however, of having grown in teamwork and virtue through commonly endured hardship, is something that lasts forever.

~ by an SMA Senior