Rachel Cockrell, STUCO sponsor, scrolls through Pinterest looking for spirit week ideas. She then picks the best ones and begins looking for outfits at Target, Goodwill, and TJ Max. 

“We need a few things at this school that only serve the purpose of goofy fun. Everything doesn’t have to always be academic,” Cockrell said. 

She even researched how spirit week affects academics for her master’s class. The research found that schools with higher school spirit levels have higher standardized test scores and graduation rates. 

Many teachers in the English department chose to participate in spirit week; however, some teachers chose not to dress up.

“Homecoming should focus on the students,” math teacher Darell Irvin said. “[It’s] hard to get everyone to buy in so enjoy it and focus on those who play, not those who do not.” 

Crockrell believes that if teachers dress up for spirit week, then student buy-in will increase. 

“I don’t want to force anyone to dress up,” she said. “I want them to want to dress up.”

Teachers are not required to participate, but because Crockrell did not dress up during spirit week when she was in high school she now goes all out.

 “I was one of those kids who was afraid of what people thought,” Cockrell said. “It’s also why I know how silly it is not to dress up. No one cares. It feels like they do, but they really don’t.”

Now she gets most of her outfits from hodge podge ideas she’s collected over the years. The English teachers even got together and made tutus for various themed days. 

“Honestly, I feel a little sorry for some of them because they just aren’t as cool as me,” Cockrell said. “If we want to create a culture of school spirit at Har-Ber, that starts with the teachers.”

Cockrell feels that teachers who don’t dress up just aren’t cool. She also thinks the English department dressing up the best every year. 

“It’s just as important to teach students to have fun as it is to teach students your content,” Cockrell said. 

 English teacher Erin Jones believes the teachers need to set an example for the students and participating in school events such as spirit week does just that.

“We participate every year,” Jones said. “We’re just weird and nerdy, I think the field of English draws weird and nerdy people who like characters, so spirit week just fits right into that.”