The Christian organization YoungLife has been conducting their anual Paint War in Rockbridge County since 2013. In previous years, the Paint War was held at the end of the summer to kick off the coming school year. Due to COVID-19, there were too many restrictions to make it happen until now. 

YoungLife leader Megan Martin has worked with Rockbridge County High School students for two years. 

“The paint war became an annual occurrence because of how great a win it is,” said Martin. “It seemed like an easy way to get a lot of students involved and excited about an event and YoungLife.” 

The paint war took place on Monday, April 26. The annual event is an opportunity for teens at RCHS to get together with their peers and get messy.

“We divide into four teams and begin by handing out different colored cornstarch ‘color bombs,’ and people throw those at each other,” said Martin. “Next, people get cups and scoop paint to toss.” 

The paint war this year had a large turnout, even with covid restrictions. All of the students wore masks, stayed apart, and were still able to participate like previous years. 

“Last night’s paint war went great. So many more people showed up than we expected, which was such a gift,” said Martin. “There were a lot of students we’d never met or haven’t seen in a while so it was awesome to meet and see them.”

The paint war is one of several events YoungLife hosts through the years. They are working to give students a fun experience, even through the pandemic.

“It’s always fun when high schoolers and leaders get to act like kids,” said Martin. “The leaders love making events like this happen, and we are always so pleased that students love it too.”