On Tuesday, September 13, students from each grade during homeroom went head to head and competed in a competition that Mr. Frey called “a test of master aerodynamics and ingenuity”. This event was the Homecoming Week Paper Airplane Contest. About 150 students in each grade participated in the event. Each contestant was given a blank, white sheet of paper, and about 10 minutes to build the best paper airplane possible. When those 10 minutes were up, the contestants were told to stand in a line, and one by one they flew their airplanes. 

For the freshman class, Luke Zablan beat out the rest of his competition with a landslide victory, securing his chance at the championship round during the Pep Rally, Friday. Zablan gives his “attorney”, Garrity Bennett, a lot of credit for helping him with this success. In Zablan’s words, “Live your life to the fullest if you want to make paper airplanes”. 

For the sophomore class, it came down to a tiebreaker as Angelo LaVacca and Brandon Sconza both hit the opposite wall during the first round. However, Sconza’s plane was able to surpass LaVacca by 10 ft, winning the competition. 

For the junior class, Paul Khouri triumphed over the entire junior “fleet”. After the last plane landed, Khouri seemed very excited as he realized he won his chance to compete on Friday evening.

Finally, for the seniors, the competition was nowhere close to Sam Zagorac. He blew all of the other aviators out of the water as he launched his plane almost the entirety of the gym. This earned Zagorac his wings to compete in the championship round.

Friday night, the stakes were high as the Homecoming Pep Rally had taken off. The four finalists lined up on the field and launched their airplanes into the evening sky. After all the pilots had a chance to throw their planes, senior Sam Zagorac was crowned the winner of the 2022 Homecoming Paper Airplane Contest. Finalist Brandon Sconza said, “Being in the championship of the paper airplane contest is truly a monumental moment, but remember it’s not the plane…it’s the pilot.”