The NPHS Volleyball Tournament is back! Mrs. Halpern and Mrs. Gumerlock are the 2025 advisors running this event, so all proceeds will benefit the Sophomore class. The tournament will take place at 6:00 pm on Wednesday, March 8th. Each team of 6-10 people are required to pay $50 to enter.

Halpern commented on the success of this event and said: “We run it because it is probably the most successful fundraiser we’ve ever done in my tenure here at New Providence and I think most importantly is because it is school wide. Everybody gets involved and it is very fun.”

The openness of the event is one of the reasons this tournament is so popular every year. There is no limit on grades and the bracket pairs up grade levels, so it makes the event appealing to all students. This also makes game play more fair, giving everyone an equal opportunity to come out on top. 

Another amazing aspect of this tournament is the atmosphere.

Halpern stated: “As always, I have a great time watching everybody in their uniforms, the competitive spirits, the music playing, it’s really an amazing night.”

One of the most memorable parts of this event is the matching uniforms that students play in. The attendees usually go all out with homemade costumes, themes, and team names, which add to the uniqueness of the event.

Interestingly enough, the annual volleyball tournament was not the original plan for a game style student fundraiser.

Halpern stated: “We actually tried to play pins, and we weren’t allowed to do it back then. We then tried to do a 3v3 basketball tournament and it didn’t fly. When this came up it was accepted by everybody. So this wasn’t the first original thought we had.”

This year, the administration approved one of the events they stood against in the past: pins night. However, pins night ended before it began. While many students thought it was going to bring back elementary school nostalgia, there were not enough people signed up to hold the event.

With the event being so close to the more popular volleyball tournament, did people feel underwhelmed?

Junior Abby Martin expressed: “I was more excited for volleyball because it’s more of an annual event and it seems very competitive in comparison to pins, which is new this year. I think it would have still been fun, but not as intense.”

Gabby Glaser also commented regarding the volleyball tournament : “I’m really excited to participate in the play. I’m also very excited for the school spirit and sense of community.”

The tournament is right around the corner, so make sure you submit your entry form to Mrs. Halpern or Mrs.Gummerlock by Friday March 3rd.