Spirit Week

One of the fun things about teaching in a high school is remembering just how big and important those high school rites of passage are.  While I'm finally getting over my enjoyment of high school dramas on TV, I'm still daily reminded of why settings like prom and graduation make for perfect season finales - they are crazy important to 16-year-olds.

While a notch down, so is Homecoming.  Who are you going with?  What will you wear?  Oh, you're not going?  Is it because no one asked you?

WSHS has a really complicated system for the dance.  About three weeks out you get a form that has to be stamped by the school treasurer and librarian saying that you don't owe the school any fines.  Then, after that deadline comes and goes, you have to take that stamped form to the table outside the cafeteria in order to buy tickets.  Oh, what's that, you didn't get your form stamped because you were too cool to plan on going but now you've been asked and you want to buy your ticket???  Too bad.  You missed the deadline.

Intense, right?

I didn't go to the dance this year or last year, but I hope it's at least worth all those hoops.

Well, the part I was willing to participate in was the dressing up.  We had America Monday, 1960s Tuesday, Out of this World Wednesday, Throwback Thursday (or #tbt) and Class Color Friday. Pictures below.

I did skip on 1960s because I figure, people were pregnant in the 60s, right?  Good enough.  And a friend helped us out with Wednesday.  Thursday and Friday were easy.  A 1999 Regional Track t-shirt threw it back and then a combo of a green WSHS tee with a black WSHS sweatshirt with yellow writing covered all but the freshman class's assigned colors.

The kids of course went all out.  Distractingly all out.  Do you know what it's like to teach commands to a classroom filled with painted faces, fairy wings, togas, antennae, wigs etc? Of course, I didn't give much sympathy as I did expect them to learn commands while wearing all that too.  Some did, some didn't.  Oh well.

It was a blast though.  Maybe next year I'll be creative enough, and fit into enough of my wardrobe, to commit to all five days.  Maybe.

In the meantime, I'll at least have a little fun with them, let them soak in the all important competition within the school, then together against PSHS or whomever we play next year, and I'll try to remember how great it felt to strive for and win the Silver Gavel all those years ago at my own JHHS.