On Friday, August 31, 2018, students 1st through 8th started off the new year with the annual Kickoff Classic. The Kickoff Classic is a fun run race where students run a little over a mile in the Magnet parking lot, bus circles, and track. Students also dressed up as their favorite athletes or wore their favorite team colors for the run, as an added fun factor. Students have fun running and competing and it’s excellent exercise.

Ray Englebert came in first place for the eighth-grade runners. When asked if he liked running he said, “I guess, I like track and field. " The event is something everyone gets to be a part of and enjoy. If you’re athletic and like running it is a fun and exciting activity. Even if you don't like running it is a great way to get exercise. Shortly after the Kickoff Classic the 6th graders got ready for the biggest event in their middle school careers known as the Team Drafting.

TMSM has five teams of students, Solidarios, Integros, Pensadores, Audaces, and Reflexivos. The team names come from five of the IB Learner Profile traits, except in Spanish. The teams compete in events throughout the year, such as the Turkey Bowl. The teams also compete for things like most service hours at the end of the year, or most money raised in the spring fundraiser. Middle school students in grades 7 and 8 were excitedly preparing for this year's 6th graders team draft and reminiscing about their own team draft.

“We all ran in and sat down in a line, and our names were pulled out of a hat. I was the first one called,” said 7th grader Madelyn Herwig now on the Integros team. This year, however, it was done a little bit differently. Tuscaloosa Magnet School Middle welcomed the Central marching band, dance team, cheerleaders, and the auxiliary squad. The band played some peppy tunes as all the new students ran into the gym. Following the performance by the central band cheerleaders, the team leaders, elected 8th graders whose job it is to show team spirit, got up, welcomed all the new members, and bragged about their teams. As the 6th graders were cheerfully sorted into their teams, the gym was a buzz.

Following the sorting, teams gathered their best Tchoukball players for one ultimate tournament. This draft was the 7th or 8th one of its kind, and when asked how this one compared to the others, Mrs. Yolanda Stockdale, a Pensadores said, “This is definitely the best by far, the teams allow you to associate with people you wouldn’t regularly associate with.” The draft ended with a win for the Solidarios in Tchoukball.