“What are you wearing for Spirit Week?” A common question heard around the halls in the weeks leading up to September 29th to October 3rd. The week was filled with clever costumes, glitter, face paint, and Spalding Spirit.
Starting the week, the theme was Decades or Throwback. We showed up dressed up as our favorite decade. Whether taking inspiration from our parents’ closet or finding an outfit of inspiration on ‘Pinterest,’ we showed up and showed out. We also had the opportunity to have a regular dress-down day if we wanted to save our best dress for the upcoming days. No matter what, if we were out of uniform, five dollars would be charged to our account in support of the senior class.
On Tuesday, we brought out our cowboy hats or golf clubs to face off in an age-old question: Country or Country Club? With tennis rackets or lassos, boots or sneakers, cowboy hats or visors, we dressed in our preferred aesthetic to show school spirit.
Wednesday was the staple in the Spalding community: Character Day. This is the day when you walk down the hallways and see inflatable dinosaurs, princesses, wizards, and many more characters. This was our opportunity to show off our favorite characters, or maybe from our childhood. Either way, it was an excellent opportunity to show sides of ourselves beyond the classroom.
Thursday was the iconic Class Color Day. With Freshmen in yellow, Sophomores in blue, Juniors in Purple, and Seniors in green, this was the day you couldn’t go ten steps without seeing some glitter, sparkle, and/or face paint in the hallway. Girls of all grades signed up to play a game of flag football, with two boys staying on the sidelines as their “coach.” The games went as follows: Seniors vs. Freshmen (Seniors won), and Juniors vs. Sophomores (Juniors won). With the Juniors winning, they played the Seniors, then, as usual, the Seniors secured the victory. While the Seniors played against the Juniors, the Freshmen played against the Sophomores on the opposite side of the field. Ultimately, a harmless yet fun tradition at Spalding ended in a great class bonding experience.
Red, White, and Black filled the hallways on Friday. Spalding t-shirts, sweat pants, sweat-shirts, shorts, pajamas, and other Spalding attire were in the hallways. Why? Well, because of the final day of Spirit Week: Spalding Spirit Day. Instead of classes and work, all students, faculty, and staff were brought together in the New Gym to participate in our annual Pep Rally. Many activities filled up the time, like the cheer and dance performances, senior boys dance, tug-of-war, pie in the face, and dodgeball. This allowed everyone to get pepped up for the football game later that night and homecoming the next day. Then, once the Pep Rally ended, we were directed outside to the Spirit Fair. Club tables, live music, puppies, and, of course, pictures on Whittles Field, the Spirit Fair was a great way to end the day as a way to bond with all of our classmates.
Spirit Week at Spalding was more than just themed outfits and fun events; it celebrated community, creativity, and school spirit. From colorful costumes to friendly competition, the week brought us together. Whether cheering in the gym or laughing with friends on the field, moments like these were the ones we would remember forever.
