Powerpuff and Powderpuff give students an opportunity to raise school spirit.

One day a year, boys and girls have the opportunity to play a sport that is usually unavailable to them. Powerpuff and Powderpuff allow students to participate in those sports, which for girls is football, and for boys it is volleyball. 

Powderpuff is a school-wide event where junior and senior girls get to play football to raise money for charity. This year the senior team won and the money raised will go to fund their prom.

Similarly, Powerpuff is a school-wide event that involves upperclassmen. The difference is junior and senior boys play volleyball to raise money as part of Activist Week. The money raised will help Whitman Elementary School create a resource room for students with cognitive and behavioral impairments. 

However, some people think that the events should be open to both genders. One of these people is senior Nahiyan Shirajee.

 “I feel that in 2019, separating genders into sports makes it overall less fun,” Shirajee said. “Being able to compete with everyone makes it a more enjoyable and inclusive activity.”  

At Troy High, there are sports that are offered to a single gender such as volleyball for girls and football for boys, which is unlike the boys and girls teams of basketball, soccer, swim and dive. Jacqueline Ciolek, English teacher and adviser for Powerpuff and Powderpuff, says the purpose of Powerpuff and Powderpuff is to give students an opportunity to play a sport in which they normally couldn’t participate.

“For me, having each of these respective events allows for some gender equality in terms of the opportunities that are offered at THS,” Ciolek said. “With a lot of attention during Homecoming season going to the varsity football team, Powderpuff spreads some of the attention not only to the junior and senior girls but also to those rallying together to support each grade and team. This support comes from the student body, staff coaches and the Troy community.”

Whether or not Powerpuff and Powderpuff should open to all genders, the main idea behind it is to raise money for a good cause as well as grow school spirit.