Izzy Appelt, News Editor
@IzzyACourant
Just a few weeks ago, the halls boomed with enthusiasm amid the first Covid-Free Spirit Week in 3 years. This year, Spirit Days included our annual Costume Day, Turn-Back-the-Clock Day, and Red and Black Day, as well as two new additions, “Everything But a Backpack” and “On Wednesdays We Wear Pink.” The week also included multiple fun events with Banner Night on Monday, the Bonfire and Pep Rally on Friday, a Homecoming game on Saturday, and a successful Footloose-themed Homecoming dance to conclude this year’s spirit week.
Student Coalition Teacher advisor Priscilla Schulz reflected on some of the changes to this year’s Spirit Days. “The new day, ‘Everything But a Backpack,’ went over really well and we saw a lot of participation,”she said. “In terms of Wednesdays We Wear Pink, I would like to have that evolve a little bit more next year and actually do a breast cancer awareness fundraiser for that day. For the first time having it, I thought it went really well because a lot of kids have pink attire at home, so there is no need to go out and purchase anything.”
According to Ms. Schulz, Stu-Co was also pleased with the turnout of the Homecoming dance this year, especially by the underclassmen. “The Homecoming dance was a huge success, thanks to the parent volunteers who stepped up with donations, food, and decorations,” she said. “We sold over 730 tickets, making it a huge fundraiser for the senior class in helping to defer the costs of Prom and Graduation.”
Although school-wide events during Spirit Week saw increased numbers, the amount of dressed-up students in the hallway differed. Regarding next year’s Spirit Week, Ms. Schulz discussed possible changes based on this year’s participation. “Turn-Back-The-Clock Day has been a longstanding tradition since I can remember, but I think that might need to be tweaked a little,” she said. “Although participation for this day was not as high as it has been, the seniors did an amazing job; they always have so much fun with the 80s.”
Seniors appreciate the continuity of Turn-Back-The-Clock Day as they have anticipated wearing the costume assigned for their grade since entering high school. “My favorite Spirit Day was Turn-Back-The-Clock Day because it is something that we do annually, and I have looked forward to doing 80s day since my freshman year; I have always wanted to do it,” Senior Ellie Parkhill said.
Although Ellie was enthusiastic about the return of a mask-free Spirit Week, she still felt that Covid took a toll on participation this year. “This year was exciting in comparison to last year, I remember there were a couple of days I was online during Spirit Week,” she said. “This year, everyone got to be in person every single day, so everyone had the opportunity to participate. However, participation wasn’t as high for specific days, especially Turn-Back-The-Clock Day. This was very different from my Freshman year, where almost everyone was dressed up.”
Student Body President Addie Cannon has worked on Stu-Co since her Freshman year and explained how being back to 100% enhanced the planning process for this year’s Spirit Week. “Being back to full capacity allowed us to be more collaborative and work together getting things done to make this an overall great week,” she said. “Over the past few years, Spirit Week has been lacking, especially during the hybrid year. This year Spirit Week definitely made a comeback, just understandably not as much as we had hoped.”
Looking to years ahead, students and staff members hope to see increased participation throughout Spirit Week. “The pandemic has taken a toll on everyone, and I think, people have to re-learn what Spirit Week really means,” Ms. Schulz said. “Spirit Week is such a big part of high school and students never get to experience this again after they graduate. I am pleased with this year’s participation and hopeful that it will just keep improving until we reach a new normal.”
