School Spirit Through the Years
Homecoming spirit week is a tradition in almost every high school. Spirit week is about more than dress up days; it is about community and breaking up the monotony of the school week.
So, what has made Urbana’s spirit weeks special? We checked in with experienced staff members to find out!
“I like that [spirit week] is fun, low-stakes, and that it loosens hierarchies in a way where everyone gets to be kind of strange together,” said English teacher Laura Koritz.
Creating funny theme days gives people the opportunity to get creative and express themselves in ways they might not usually feel comfortable doing.
Family and Consumer Sciences teacher Amanda Perez-Rosser added that, “It is entertaining seeing what everyone comes up with and brings some joy to a time of year that feels long! Seeing my students’ reactions to my outfits brightens my day.”
Favored spirit days throughout school history have been the easy to understand ones, for example a few years ago there was a day when people came dressed as celebrities who had passed away. It is fun enough to engage people and simple enough to allow people to participate.
According to staff, there has been a lot more engagement as the years have gone by. While the consensus between staff members who have experienced many spirit weeks throughout the years have said that it is something fun that people enjoy doing, it also comes with some negatives.
PE and Driver’s Education teacher Nathan Watson said, “Class color day is my least favorite—it seems divisive to me. I really don’t remember that even being a thing until the movie Bring It On came out.”
Watson added that spirit week could cause division and competition between grades rather than bringing them together. He specifically lamented the loss of Tiger Pride day in recent years, where all classes would dress up in orange and black.
For Watson, “it should be the theme for the entire week.”
Math teacher Dan Bechtel shared the same sentiment as Watson on the divisiveness of class color day.
“From the very beginning it was always about separating everybody and not dealing with them being together as one,” he said.
He also went on to explain that class color day caused more than just a mental division of people, but it also caused “legitimate fights” in the past!
Bechtel also remarked that in the past spirit week used to be a much more intrusive activity, disrupting students’ focus and their ability to complete work. He sees improvement in recent years in this regard.
This is a look into the past, but also a reminder for the future: have fun and enjoy it while it lasts!
Make others feel welcome and included. Be kind, and be creative. Remember school spirit is more than colors or silly clothes, it is about creating a community beyond learning objectives and homework assignments. The impacts of school spirit will be remembered and felt for years to come.
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