By: Ross Kantor

Spring has arrived at Rye Country Day School, and with it, comes one of the most talked about and anticipated events on campus. April Absurdity, the school’s own March Madness-style bracket basketball competition, is back.

The format is straightforward: teams of four or five students, each required to have at least one member of the opposite gender on the team, compete in a 4-on-4 single-elimination bracket until one team is crowned champion. The competition is as much about school spirit as it is about athletic ability, drawing in participants and spectators from every corner of the RCDS community during Z1.

For many students, April Absurdity is one of the most unique events on the school calendar precisely because of how it brings people together. “It’s a great bonding experience for our school,” said Ethan Kantor ‘27. He also noted that the event “brings the school together” in a way that few other activities can.

Student Body Vice President Hank Brown ‘27, highlighted the competition’s wider effects on the student body, echoing that shared sense of unity. “It’s great to have a lot of different people joining one collective competition,” Brown said. He noted that “[April Absurdity] is an amazing opportunity for the student body to bond and boost morale.” But don’t let the community spirit fool you -the competition is strong. “The competitive nature of the event really brings our spirits out,” Brown added.

Other students are equally caught up in the excitement. Ayana Banerjee ‘27 shared the same enthusiasm, summing up the atmosphere around campus every April in just five words: “We all go crazy in April.”

The first round was finally revealed during community meeting at the beginning of April. With matchups confirmed and the teams knowing who stands between them and the championship, the competition has quickly gotten serious. Adding to the stakes, this year poses  the question of whether last year’s back-to-back champions can make history with a three-peat, consisting of Jackson Koslow ‘26, Richie Morrow ‘26, Adriel Appiah-Gyasi ‘26, and Claire Jiang ‘26. With teams across every grade looking to knock them off, the path to the title won’t be easy for anyone. So as April Absurdity officially gets underway, the only question left is, who is going to win it all?