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November 15, 2011
Mindy Lyseng-Crawford
It’s my fourth year of high school, and I knew exactly what I was getting in to. Spirit Week at Washington is so much more than dressing up–it’s a tradition, a legacy. We pride ourselves at how well we come together as the Huskies, and that’s something that will stay with me forever.
I’ve had so many great memories with so many great people, and Spirit Week holds many of them. Each class did a great job on their skits, and I was honestly surprised at how good our Senior skit was. I hadn’t gone to the practices because I knew I’d be doing camera stuff; but when I watched the run-through the morning of, I was laughing so hard in the stands…by myself I might add. I also got my annual injuries that inevitably come with rallying, but that’s just another part of it all.
So sad it is to admit that our last spirit week has come and gone so quickly, but the madness of it continues. I have begun to sift through all of the photos and videos I took throughout the week, and let me just say, oh my God. There’s over 1,000 photos, and at least a couple hundred videos; and that’s just from me alone. Many other students shared the task of documenting these events, and are now scrambling to get it all organized and get the media out there. As I know, this is no easy task; but we’re doing our best because we know how much it means to everyone.
After all is said and done, I can’t help but be sad knowing this is the last time we’re going to be doing any of this. And no matter how chaotic, I will miss Washington High School’s spirit week.
Photo Credit: Tanusree Munshi
A few senior AP textbooks ominously stacked up. One can imagine all the work to be done.
November 4, 2011
Tanusree Munshi
Spirit Week has always been a time of running around and celebrating, and homework has often been neglected during this time. Some teachers despise Spirit Week because their students are always distracted by the events outside of the classroom, such as skits and rallying, but the teachers that seem to dislike it the most are AP teachers. Last week during Spirit Week, I had two tests; both of them were for AP classes. When a students told the teacher that it’s unfair to have a test this week since so much is going on, the teacher said that AP stops for no one and we have to juggle Spirit Week with studying for the tests. We ended up having the test the day of the senior skit, so everyone was mostly tired and didn’t have enough time to study.
I believe that it’s unfair to expect so much out of AP students because we aren’t any different than normal students. Managing one’s time between something that is immensely exciting and something that is dreary can cause one to forget the latter of the two completely. Last week was incredibly hectic for me; I had an AP Statistics test, an AP Biology test, and to top it all off, I somehow caught a cold too. It should be acknowledged that AP students can’t do a superhuman amount of homework just because the course name has an ‘AP’ in front of it.
Photo Credit: Iris Chan
Sophomores pose in their ninja costumes.
November 4, 2011
Anmol Mathur
Photo Credit: Nishita Battula
Seniors Anmol Mathur, Laurelle Lund, Kaitlyn Martinez on 70s Day.
October 28, 2011
Anmol Mathur
Spirit Week 2011 is over. For the class of 2012, and for me, this is bittersweet. After four years of bonding with my classmates—some of whom I have known for thirteen years—this is the last time we all come together for one week and show how close-knit we are. We can still have fun being silly kids even when we are on the brink of starting our own adult lives. My favorite part of Spirit Week is definitely dressing up and seeing all the creative costumes in which other people show up to school. I love seeing the costumes that are homemade and original, so Celebrity Day was especially enjoyable this year. The bewildered looks I would always get from passers-by on the walk to school don’t even matter during Spirit Week. I know that I only look like a weirdo until I join my comrades on campus.
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November 9, 2010
Amanda Nava
Throughout Spirit Week it’s as if the only thing that’s on people’s minds is their class and the costumes that are supposed to be worn. When creating costumes, people tend to forget that even though the atmosphere at school is looser than normal, teachers want to get work done. Students are focused on one thing and it isn’t their studies.
It’s indisputable that Spirit Week is distracting. Boys will show up at school wearing undershirts and run amok in the halls. During certain days, especially during 80s day, they’ll show up with old-fashioned jukeboxes and blast music around campus. If people are being unwise about the area they play their music or the level of volume, the jukeboxes will be immediately confiscated by the closest authority figure. However, not every staff member closely adheres to this rule of conduct.
When it comes to confiscated items, scooters brought by seniors during nerd day are frequently taken away. Since scooters and other various wheeled objects are level two misconducts, this means that an authority figure may confiscate them and the rule breaker may even be sent to the SRC if the staff member deems it necessary.
“People cross the line during Spirit Week,” senior Karina Garcia said. “Some clothes really shouldn’t be worn at school, like when the guys wear shorts that leave little to the imagination on 70s day.”
It seems as if the new no-hat policy is being ignored on school grounds. Students will show up to class with caps that complete their outfits and get to keep them on the entire day without confiscation. Maybe a brief reprieve from a rule meant to limit the influence that gangs have at school is a good thing, but isn’t a district rule is still in effect whether or not it’s Spirit Week?
Then, there are the infamous blow horns, whistles, and air horns that people typically use during sporting events. In the morning, a lovely combination of these instruments can be heard a block away from the school. Of course, using them outside isn’t enough—inside hallways and running in classrooms, students blare their earsplitting horns to promote their graduating class all day long. This has to be the biggest distraction of Spirit Week especially, when it’s only 7:45 a.m. when most people would prefer to be sleeping. When these items are confiscated due to excessive use it shouldn’t be a surprise.
Maybe a set of rules or dress code separate from the typical dress code should be established during Spirit Week that states what’s appropriate to wear during this period of time. Students should have the right to have fun, but elaborate costumes are distracting and some are unquestionably inappropriate in a school environment.
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November 9, 2010
Sarah Kowalski
Many students see Spirit Week as an opportunity to cast off the inhibitions of regular school work and dress up in fanciful clothes in order to scream and cheer for their class. Even though the actual dress up itself only makes up a small portion of the overall points awarded for Spirit Week, many people consider the costumes to be the most important aspect. However, despite the obvious entertainment value of these costumes, some people take them too far when they buy elaborate costumes from Halloween stores that they will only wear once.
Everyone has seen the people around campus who are so obviously wearing a costume that they bought as a set from a store. Although these costumes tend to be higher quality than those that were purchased at a thrift store or salvaged from the dusty corners of an attic, they are not as creative or original. Spirit Week presents an opportunity for people to show off their skills at creating new and interesting ways to dress up for a theme and the costumes that people generally remember are those that people created themselves out of the materical they already had, rather than bought at the store.
The other advantage of not buying a costume from the store is that it is much less expensive. Many students flock to thrift stores in the weeks before Spirit Week to try and find cheap alternatives to more expensive Halloween store options. Students can find all sorts of clothes that are perfectly suited to their needs mostly for under five dollars each. It is also much more fun to try and find something to work for the specific themed the day amongst the mass of ill-suited casst-off clothing.
Spirit Week doesn’t have to be an expensive endeavor. It is quite possible to have costumes that are just as good as everyone else’s without spending any money. Innovation makes for some of the funniest, most creative, and all around best costumes. Spirit Week is about being creative, having fun, and showing off what you have. The best thing to do is to utilize your resources and make the best of it.
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November 9, 2010
Monica Anbazhagan
The final product of months of work is condensed into one week of dressing up and a thirty minute skit for the school. Spirit Week is a time of competition between classes and a time of togetherness for the individual classes, but it disrupts instructional time.
Spanish teacher Dolores Vera-Valdez said, “Kids are more rambunctious than other weeks, and their behavior is disruptive in that respect, but I like how they show spirit.”
Vera-Valdez enjoys the skits during lunch because it demonstrates class unity and she appreciates the effort they put into it. According to her, the week doesn’t produce more tardies due to rallying in the morning and skits during lunch.
“I’m in the SRC for one period, and I expected a lot more students to show up there this week, but it’s been quiet and the same number of students show up as usual.”
Vera-Valdez thinks the different classes are on an even playing field most of the time, but she also notices that the juniors and seniors start preparation earlier and plan how they will dress, whereas the freshmen are more shy. In the past, she’s altered schedule plans for the week, but now she expects students to turn in their work, and she knows the serious students will do so.
Computers teacher James Briano said, “People are a little more excited, but it’s hard to keep track of who’s supposed to leave.”
Briano had a quiz planned, but people kept leaving, so he had to arrange for those students to get extra time
He finds the spirit entertaining, and that the “student participation is impressive and the students are really energetic.”
For Briano, the competition is part of the way Spirit Week is set up; the students are supposed to compete against each other. He finds some of the dress-up days offensive, like Nerd day and Old Fart day, because it’s just ridiculing smart students and the elderly.
Health teacher Fernando Sotelo changes his schedule for Spirit Week by doing more group work to bring the students together during a week of rivalry. Sotelo uses multiple teaching strategies to keep the students focused during the week, including more engaging and interactive activities.
“I give them the same amount of class work, but less homework.” Sotelo said.
All three teachers notice that they don’t enforce the dress code as strongly as they would during any other week of school. They can be so caught up in the excitement that the dress enforcing the dress code doesn’t seem like a priority. “I just forget about the dress code during Spirit Week sometimes, but when I do remember, I am strict about it.” Soteleo said.
Photo Credit: Jimmy Young
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November 13, 2009
They do their best to intimidate the other classes.
