In an email sent to the school community Feb. 11, the Student Council announced the postponement of Spirit Week to May 23-27 “due to ASL’s guidelines.”
Instead of traditional Spirit Week activities, such as games and competitions held during a High School assembly, StuCo members adapted the week of Feb. 14 into “Not Spirit Week.” Throughout this week, students had the opportunity to earn spirit points for their grade, according to StuCo Vice President Maddie Wilkin (’22).
As a result of the postponement of the official Spirit Week, Wilkin said StuCo members were looking for a new way to engage students. She said they decided to pay for Cameo videos, an online service where people can receive personalized videos from public figures.
“We tried to come up with this idea of using the Cameos as a way for people to be more excited and upbeat about something going on without having to all gather in the same space,” she said.
In an Instagram post, StuCo featured messages from public figures including Dr. Holly Hatcher-Frazier from the show “Dance Moms” and a viral Ed Sheeran impersonator. Wilkin said students received the most positive feedback about Hatcher-Frazier’s video where she encouraged students to dress up in black and orange for the homecoming basketball games Feb. 16.
Despite the videos’ popularity, Wilkin said school spirit remained below the council’s expectation.
“Our turnout of people dressing up and participating is a little bit lower than I would have anticipated,” she said. “In comparison to last year and especially the beginning of this year, it has definitely heightened and improved.”
Overall, Wilkin said students should work toward creating more of a balance between academics and other activities, rather than relying on school spirit to be generated solely from StuCo.
“Our school can do a better job of cultivating a place where kids can have fun and learn,” she said.
Not Spirit Week Calendar
