Spirit week

Payton Primm, News Editor

Curly afro wigs, sports jerseys, and Hawaiian leis fill the hallways as students pause to snap pictures with their friends. Spirit week is here once again, and this time, it is to prepare for Friday night’s rivalry game against last year’s state playoff opponent, Fayetteville High School.

Spirit week is a brilliant way to encourage spirit among students and teachers, but it can also be time consuming and expensive. Having the best outfit for spirit week often requires a last minute trip to Goodwill or a local retailer, as well as time and gas spent driving to and from the location. This can intimidate students, deterring them from dressing up altogether.

Intimidation is also a key factor that plays a part in the lack of involvement from students. It seems as if the same students go all out for spirit week every year, dressed from head to toe in whatever the theme of the day happens to be. Because of this, some students adopt the “that person has enough school spirit for all of us” mentality, giving the student an excuse for not dressing up.

On the other hand, spirit week days such as “Jersey Day” and “Denim and Diamonds” encourage students to participate by making it fun and easy. Most students have a sports jersey or two laying around at home, as well as some form of denim to fit the theme. These themes allow even the student that is embarrassed to dress up to show their school pride in a minimal way.

Peer pressure from friends is another way to ensure the participation of students in spirit week. Friend groups often coordinate their spirit day outfits, so to avoid being left out of photos and memories, students are motivated to dress up according to the theme.

Spirit week is a memorable way to create school pride among students, and despite the hassle of inventing outfits for each day, the memories made from spirit week are irreplaceable.