Lou Paris held a field day three years ago, where Farrell Area Elementary School students competed in athletic events and put into practice his lessons on fair play and sportsmanship.

This year, Paris resurrected field day, but, in the wake of Sept. 11, he added a dimension.

PEACE Field Day kicked off Tuesday with the third-graders marching into Paulekas Stadium Olympic-style while "Summon the Heroes" and "Call to the Champions" blared.

The classes competed in shot-put, 100-yard dash, Frisbee toss, obstacle course, tug-of-war and two-headed race, where pairs squeezed into a single shirt for the run.

No gold or silver medals were awarded, but all competitors received yellow "I Survived Sports Day" stickers.

Each elementary class from kindergarten through sixth grade will get a field day this week or next, as weather permits.

PEACE stands for physical education among children everywhere, and Paris, the elementary physical education teacher, hopes the benefits of athletic competition -- which he called social skills -- will spill over into their lives.

"Kids have to learn that life isn't fair," Paris said. "There are winners and losers, but you have to know how to handle it."

Winners need to be gracious, losers have to accept their defeat, but use it to inspire them to improve, and all participants must encourage each other to do their best.

"We need these little things because our kids will be leaders some day," Paris said.

Several parents, some armed with video cameras, took the encouragement lesson to heart by rooting on the children.

Jackie Attaway, shouted on her 8-year-old son, David, Tuesday.

"I try to stay as involved as I possibly can," she said of David's school activities. "I think that's really important these days. Parents don't do enough of that. They just leave them to the school."

Ms. Attaway, who had her 2-year-old daughter, Victoria, in a stroller nearby, said it was important to her when she was growing up to see her mother, Peggy Owens, in the stands cheering for her.

Ms. Owens said she offered her maternal support "Just to let her know that I was there and that she was important and everything she did was important to me."

Ms. Owens is still in the stands, at activities featuring her four grandchildren.

"I go to baseball games and soccer games and everything," she said.

Paris told his students some months ago field day was coming up, but didn't let on what kind of activities they would be doing to build up a sense of anticipation.

"I could practice all these things but the surprise is fun," he said. "If you don't have butterflies, there's something wrong with you. It's good stress."

And it's a much different kind of stress from what comes from the state assessment tests the students took in April.

"There's no classroom setting," he said. "They don't have to raise their hands."

The only exception he made is for kindergartners, who will do a different set of activities, including cup stacking, soccer ball kick, 50-year dash and coconut carry, in which two children carry a ball wedged between their foreheads.

Paris had the kindergarten students brought to the field a few weeks ago to run through the exercises.

"In kindergarten, you really have to set an example and do these activities for them so they get an idea," Paris said.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at jpinchot@sharon-herald.com