Panther Pride: Priory Students Dive Into Spirit Week
By The Editorial Board
Fluorescent jellyfish, snorkel gear and floaties fill Schilling Square as students gather during break. Turquoise streamers are strung from the railings and tables scattered with golden coins.
Following the "Under the Sea" theme, both middle school and high school students dressed in elaborate costumes to help build school spirit.
October 1st kicks off Spirit Week: seven days of exciting celebrations, nail-biting games, and delicious treats.
Every day has a unique theme associated with the costumes and events which are chosen by each grade. This year’s themes consisted of construction workers, pirates, under the sea, minions, and smurfs.
HONK 4 SENIORS: 12th grade students gathered before school to participate in a Priory Spirit Week tradition.
Luca Gereben, junior transfer student from Hungary, elaborates on how spirit week in America has opened her eyes to a fresh perspective.
“I think the effort American schools put into building a school spirit is amazing,” Gereben said. “Experiencing it was super fun. I felt like I was in an amusement park when I turned a corner and I was facing a group of minions.”
Many students felt that spirit week created a sense of community on campus, especially junior Jack Nuttal, who found it exciting for the entire community.
“I think that this spirit week was pretty engaging for both students and staff,” Nuttal said. It was fun to see teachers get into things and have the community band together.”
Nuttal explains how the events and themes helped in strengthening school unity.
“Spirit week contributes [to school unity] by creating communal spaces for friends and peers to interact,” Nuttal said.
Nuttal felt that spirit week was a success, however could be improved for future years to increase student participation.
“I think that adding events outside of break and lunch as well as having more incentives to dress within [the] theme would improve spirit week,” Nuttal said.