Each year Lakeview students prepare for Homecoming and show their school pride through Spirit Week. This fall, the themes were beach bash, holidays, Ken vs. Barbie, pajama day, and color wars. For both the holiday and color war days, each grade was assigned something different. The freshmen were Christmas, sophomores were 4th of July, juniors were Valentine’s Day, and seniors were Halloween. Later in the week, all grades portrayed bulldog pride through different Lakeview colors. Freshmen were white, sophomores were grey, juniors were black, and seniors were blue.
I asked students what their favorite theme was from this week, and continued in questioning what themes they hoped for in the future. Meliah Persino, an 11th-grade student, has some joyful words to say about her experience of Spirit Week.
Persino claims, “My favorite day from this spirit week was Barbie vs. Ken. I went to see the Barbie movie over this past summer, so it brought back some fun memories.”
She goes on to say her hopes for the next spirit week, “I want an upcoming spirit week theme to be pajama day still because it’s something that never fails and has been kept going for a while.”
Junior Hailey Anderson also had a positive experience participating in spirit week: “I loved spirit week, I always like dressing up for the themes and it’s exciting to see what everybody else wears especially when it’s a crazy theme. I found it fun to pick out outfits every night and go out with friends to shop for them.”
Regarding Persino’s statement, Pajama Day has always served as a great opportunity for students to regain comfort in the school environment by simply taking a day to relax. Some other recurring themes we’ve had would include color wars and, usually, Lakeview spirit day. However, a lot of thought is put into producing new ideas for each week. Changes are always being made to ensure the themes are fresh and relative. For instance, the Ken vs. Barbie theme most likely would not have been formed without the recent release of the Barbie movie.
Other than pure enjoyment, some students do possess ulterior motives for dressing up for spirit week.
Oniah Russo, a 12th-grade student, states, “I participate in spirit week for the extra credit. Personally, I also enjoy dressing up for some themes that might interest or apply to me.”
Even teachers become involved in this exciting week, going so far as to offer extra credit for those who participate. Some teachers even dress up to match their co-workers daily. For example, English teacher Jenna Hogue, math teacher Jamie Miller, guidance counselor Caitlin Schnurrenberger, and English teacher Laura Wood always try their best to coordinate clothing that also matches the themes. In doing this, they serve as the perfect illustration that anyone could participate.
Hogue proclaims, “I think it’s important for teachers to lead the way and encourage the kids to participate by participating themselves.”
After all, teachers are meant to guide us. Even if it’s in small things like spirit week, our staff always goes above and beyond.
Looking forward, there are some students with bright ideas for what we could do for the next spirit week.
Junior Alexandria Shiflet said, “I would like to see the theme ‘dress as your favorite Disney character’ for the next spirit week that comes along.”
This is just one idea out of the many that the students in this school have. It’s important to recognize the thoughts of those who take part in Spirit Week so that we can ensure everyone’s opinions are included for next time. This is what Spirit Week is all about. A sense of unity and excitement is created in preparation for events like homecoming, winter wonders, or prom.
