On September 21st, Marriotts Ridge commenced Spirit Week: a week of themed outfits and events for students to participate in. Spirit Week is the week leading up to the Pep Rally, a day where classes are pushed back to make room for two hours of student-led sport competitions and events. Some events from the past are volleyball and ping-pong. Every day in the week are outfit prompts such as each grade wears this color or devil vs. angel like last year. The student council is responsible for organizing Spirit Week, coming up with new themes every year while keeping some of the classics, like pajama day; this year, they have also decided on other themes such as BBQ Dads & Soccer Moms and Music Genres.
Senior Arya Ram, a Parent Teacher Student Liaison (PTSA), explains how Spirit Week will be like this year, “This year, we have two or three break game days. Students will be let out of their classrooms after second period and they come to the commons where we have games organized and have volunteers come and play.”
This huge school event, because of how important it is to the spirits of the student body, often takes great effort to organize and hold.
“We [SGA board members] first have a meeting and talk about what the student body wants to see: what spirit days they would like, what games, what would engage them and what would motivate them to participate… Not a lot of Spirit Week is money based” Ram elaborated.
Freshmen students new to the whole celebration, typically are not sure what Spirit-Week entails, but excitement for it from surrounding upperclassmen in turn also excites underclassmen for the events.
“I have no idea what Spirit-Week is, but I might participate if tug of war or ping-pong is involved. Since it’s grade vs. grade, I’m a little more interested,” freshman Michelle Kim said.
For this exact reason, the Student Council makes sure that Spirit Week is inclusive to make the freshmen feel welcome,
“Spirit Week is meant to raise the spirit of the student body and I think, especially for freshmen who come in and they’re fresh out of middle school, they don’t know what high school will be like; they’re scared. I think it’s a great way to show that we are one student body. I think it’s a great way to dress up and have fun with your friends,” Ram said.
This year, due to weather inconsistencies, the Pep Rally was postponed to October 17th. In past years, the Pep Rally gave students the opportunity to sign up and participate in games and competitions against other grades. Albeit pretty intimidating for the participants, watching fellow friends and peers compete tends to make the Pep Rally exponentially more exciting for those in the bleachers.
“When your friends participate, it makes [the Pep Rally] much more engaging. You want to support them, so you end up shouting with the crowd.” junior Remi Pi expressed.
Amidst the excitement, It’s easy to forget that the Pep Rally might not be for everyone. Loud, hot and in a stadium full of sweaty teenagers, some students prefer to use the extra hour as a study hall. The media center is open for students who want to catch up on homework during the Rally; whereas, the art room often plays a movie for those who do not want to attend the Rally, but still want to have fun with their friends. The hour of extra free time can be super helpful to students overwhelmed on homework, or even just those that want some time to relax.
“It’s basically like a free period. I can sleep, draw, anything.” Pi continued, “It’s also nicer to be able to sit around and talk to my friends without having to shout for them to hear me.”
Spirit Week and the Pep Rally have pretty much evolved into its own tradition, being passed down from year to year. Even seniors, having gone through it multiple times, find it exhilarating as one of their last major high school events ever. Dressed colorfully to showcase their school pride,MRHS students are elated to give this school another spiritful, Spirit Week!
