Ping Pong Is a Hit at Paul Revere

As the NCAA Division I men’s basketball tournament enters the Sweet 16, so too does Paul Revere Middle School’s own version of “March Madness.” It is a new single-elimination ping pong tournament for students and faculty, with the first two rounds played in Revere’s Town Hall on the school’s three tables. The tournament started with 64 players consisting of 19 faculty members and 45 students. Now only 10 students and six teachers remain. The students are eighth-graders Ryan Potter, Anthony Poulos, John Collier, Luka Kosanin, Wes Gallie and Nicholas Jackson, seventh-grader Erel Israel and sixth-graders Jack Carpenter and Jack Ginsberg. Faculty members still alive are English teachers John Slaven, John Hyman and Robert Schwartz, history teachers Darren Bates and Michael Fulling, P.E. teacher Marty Lafolette and assistant principal Peter Hastings. The winner will be crowned this week before the school goes on Spring Break. The idea for the tournament came from Fulling and Bates, who wanted to give students the opportunity to interact with faculty in a non-academic setting. Unlike the NCAA Tournament, the Revere draw did not seed, but P.E. teacher Paul Foxson, an early favorite to make it to the finals, was “upset” by Lafolette in the Round of 32. Students who weren’t playing offered cheers and handmade signs such as “Korean Club supports Mr. Hyman,” and “Go Blake Beitler.” A glass display case on campus as well as morning announcements has kept students and faculty informed of the players moving to the next round. “I think the most interesting aspect of the tournament has been the buzz among students and teachers concerning matchups and predictions,” Bates said. “It’s really helped bring students and faculty together in friendly competition. It’s been a wonderful experience.” Bates said Pacific Palisades residents donated two of the tables being used for the tournament. Anyone who wants to donate a table in good condition can e-mail Bates: dxb9334@lausd.net.