Credit: @lenapepride1 on Instagram
Introduction
Each year at Lenape, during the week of homecoming, there is Spirit Week, during which students participate in various activities and dress-up days. Spirit Week culminates during the pep rally on Pride Day when the four classes go head-to-head in a series of competitions. Each class earns points throughout the week for their participation and winning events on Pride Day. The class with the most points wins the Spirit Competition and is awarded the Spirit Stick and bragging rights.
Dress-up Days
Much of the excitement during Spirit Week comes from various dress-up days, where students have the opportunity to showcase their creativity and school pride by wearing outfits that align with each day’s theme.
Monday – Jersey vs Jersey Shore Day
This year, Spirit Week began with Jersey vs. Jersey Shore Day. Students and staff either wore their favorite team’s jersey or dressed like they were going to go down the Shore.
Credit: @lenapepride1 and @lenapestuco on Instagram
Tuesday – USA Day
USA Day had students showing off their patriotism in full force. Everyone showed off their love for the USA, from decking out in red, white, and blue to dressing up as Abraham Lincoln!
Credit: @lenapepride1 and @lenapestuco on Instagram
Wednesday – Anything But A Backpack Day
Anything But A Backpack Day had students getting creative, bringing their books and papers to school in everything from giant teddy bears to barbecue grills. Such clever ideas made walking around school a lot of fun!
Credit: @lenapepride1 and @lenapestuco on Instagram
Thursday – Day off
Students enjoyed a day off because of Rosh Hashanah, giving them a chance to rest up before all the exciting events of Pride Day.
Pride Day
Pride Day kicked off with an extended episode of Lenape Live, followed by a two-hour open campus, where students could partake in activities like face painting, golfing, and basketball. They could also grab a bite at the Chick-fil-A food truck or at one of the many bake sales throughout the school hosted by clubs.
Credit: @lenapepride1 and @lenapestuco on Instagram
Students then filled the North Gym for the pep rally. The four classes were in separate sections and wore different colors: the freshman wore gray, the sophomores wore white, the juniors wore black, and the seniors wore red.
Credit: @lenapepride1 and @lenapestuco on Instagram
The pep rally began with each of the fall sports teams running out into the gym, greeted by loud cheers from their classmates. Next, the seniors performed their senior skit, dancing to a mix of popular songs they practiced during the weeks leading up to Pride Day.
Now, it was time for the competition to begin!
Tug of War:
The first event was a classic game of strength, Tug of War. First, the seniors and the sophomores faced each other, followed by the juniors and freshmen. The winners of each round, the seniors and juniors, then faced each other. To everyone’s surprise, the juniors upset the seniors to win the event!
Mattress Race:
Next was a new addition to Pride Day: the Mattress Race. In this event, students from the four classes took turns jumping on air mattresses to slide them as far as possible to reach the finish line first! The seniors won this event.
Table Race:
In the Table Race, students rolled under tables to push them forward and try to get across the gym first. Again, the seniors won.
Egg Roulette:
Next was Egg Roulette, where one student from each grade would choose an egg to crack on another student’s head in the same class. If it was raw, their grade was eliminated. The seniors took the win in this one too!
Donut on a String:
My personal favorite. Students raced to eat a donut dangling from a string without using their hands. It was very close, but in the end, the juniors came out on top!
Cheese Ball shower cap catch:
In this event, one student wore a shower cap covered in shaving cream while their partner tossed cheese balls, trying to make them stick. The class with the greatest number of cheese balls, the juniors, won!
Tic-Tac-Toe Relay:
To end the competition, students from each class raced back and forth to place bean bags into a large tic-tac-toe board. The seniors got three in a row first for another win!
Who Won?
In the end, the seniors, who participated the most throughout Spirit Week and won the most events, were awarded the Spirit Stick!
Credit: Mary Ross
Interviews
I wanted to hear thoughts about Spirit Week from the perspective of both a student and a teacher, so I interviewed Sophomore Reeyan Thakrar and Math teacher Mrs. Gabor.
Q: How do you think Spirit Week contributes to school spirit and student engagement at Lenape?
Reeyan: Spirit Week positively influences school spirit, allowing students to achieve a growth mindset. This helps to increase student engagement at Lenape.
Mrs. Gabor: I believe the dedication and effort that students and teachers invest in decorating the halls and dressing up for the daily themes creates a strong sense of pride.
Q: What activity or dress-up day did you enjoy the most this Spirit Week? What made it memorable to you?
Reeyan: Honestly, I could not decide which activity I enjoyed the most because each brought a sense of excitement, joy, and belonging.
Mrs. Gabor: I love watching the pep rally. The excitement and participation from the crowd is so incredible.
Q: Do you have any ideas or suggestions for next year’s Spirit Week?
Reeyan: Not specifically, but I would like events like Spirit Week to happen more often because of its positive impact on teachers and students.
Mrs. Gabor: No, everything was great!
Conclusion
Overall, I thought every day of Spirit Week was a lot of fun and brought the school community together, and I am looking forward to next year!