Spirit Week Thoughts

By: Josh Riedy '31

Spirit week…. What does that bring to mind? For me, it is pep rallies and pink-outs, but for you it could be not so very clear cut, so here are some thoughts on what spirit week is about, and some ideas for you.

Wednesday was Meme day. A few popular memes that were easy are the deer from ninety-nine nights, which would only use a headband and a brown shirt. Another one is for two people, being a six and a seven. More “rare” memes could be Meowl, Doge, or Nyan cat. Just remember those doing memes for Wednesday needed to be comfortable enough to walk in the evacuation drill. On Thursday, which is my favorite day of spirit week, was Anything But a Water Bottle day, where you can bring in anything for a water bottle. A few quick ideas to rattle off could be tea kettles, coolers, plastic bags, Pringle’s cans, or even cleaned out nitrile gloves. Last but not least, we have the pink-out on Friday, where you could wear pink in your outfit all day, from pants, shirts, headbands, fake pink wigs, or even necklaces and wristbands. 

But spirit week is not just about dressing up as your favorite meme and wheeling around a cooler, it can increase school’s community, and unity within the student body. There is also evidence that spirit week can increase academic performance. But spirit week can put another requirement on parents' plates, becoming a competition on who can show out the most, and can crack a divide between students that may have forgotten to do the day for spirit week, or even just don't want to. Overall, spirit weeks are a good thing, but it is important to not shame or ridicule students that don't want to participate in it, because that doesn't mean they don't have spirit, it may mean that they don't have the funds to buy a whole new outfit for one day, or for example on a “Twin day” many kids don't have a friend to twin with. School spirit isn't about who can make the most sophisticated outfit in one week, it's about being respectful and kind to your fellow peers.