As early as the 1920s, the school had playgrounds equipped for baseball, soccer, basketball, volleyball, and even boxing. While students in the early days did play other schools and club teams, the school prioritized intramural competition. To do so, the school divided the student body into two “clubs” – the Sharks and the Barracudas. “At the end of the session, a trophy is awarded to the club winning the most points in baseball, soccer, and track events.” The two clubs eventually became the Pelicans and Flamingos, and the end of session competition became Field Day.
Today, team affiliations are revealed in the annual Hatching Ceremonies every September. As parents, alumni and classmates look on, each new student opens a golden egg to reveal either a blue or yellow wristband. Those who find blue will be, from that moment forward, a Pelican, while a yellow band indicates life-long membership as a Flamingo. Following the standing PBDA tradition, students who are children of alumni join the same affiliation of their parents.
