WORDEN/EDWARDSVILLE - Worden Elementary School students learned about sportsmanship in a schoolwide hockey tournament.
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On Friday, Jan. 23, 2026, Worden students faced off in their PE classes to see who would win the coveted hockey stick, which will hang in the hallway outside of the winners’ classroom for the remainder of the school year. But most importantly, the kids learned more about working together and supporting one another on and off the field.
“You couldn’t have a better Friday afternoon, as far as the kids are concerned,” laughed Principal Dana Morton. “PE is fun. Hockey is fun. They can get their wiggles out. But the overarching goal there is that team camaraderie as well as the sportsmanship component.”
The tournament started out with a rendition of the National Anthem by Worden’s choir. Each team named themselves and chose a team captain and walkout song.
The competition was fierce, with three teams — Brown's BLUES, Gassett's Golden Buccaneers, and Hosto's Monkeys — taking home the winning title.
Morton commended PE teacher Nathan Novsek for his devotion to the students. Not only did he organize the hockey tournament, but he also makes it a point to teach the kids about teamwork and other valuable life skills.
Morton said she recently observed a PE class in which Novsek told the kids that “you can be sad when you lose” while still feeling “appreciative of the opportunity to play.” Learning how to manage these emotions and show sportsmanship through it all is an important part of the PE curriculum and the students’ developmental stage.
At Worden and other local elementary schools, teachers go out of their way to support kids through these stages. They work hard to teach them about life beyond the classroom.
“I think when people send their kids to school, they know we’re going to work on English and language arts. They know we’re going to hit on social studies. They know we're going to work on math,” Morton said. “But we have to give opportunities beyond just the book work and the computer work. It’s those real-life experiences within our four walls, where it’s safe, where we can monitor, where we can manage the outcomes, but we can also teach in those times.”
Morton is thankful for a school community like Worden’s where teachers, administrators and students can collaborate to learn those lessons. She expressed her gratitude for the District #7 staff who help kids succeed.
“The phrase ‘It takes a village’ is not lost on me, especially being a leader of this small school,” she added. “I can tell you quite honestly that this is an environment of teachers and staff that I would, without a doubt, put my own children in. That has value to me.”
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