Why do some students choose not to participate?
The early nausea of getting out of the car with cold feet and checking out your weird hairstyle in your car’s mirror is back yet again. However, the anxiety doesn't take out the genuine excitement of dressing like a grandma and the satisfaction of finding the perfect silky skirt to fit the theme. Or rating the best outfits you nominated for New York’s Fashion Week in your mind.
Spirit Week is an activity done by schools worldwide to increase school spirit and to let students have fun through their clothes and day themes. It helps students express their creativity inside the school’s facility, where strict uniform rules are sometimes the norm. Even if they don't find an outfit to match that day’s theme, bold students who come in normal clothes are still allowed to wear them, which is a great relief from wearing the school’s uniform.
This year’s day themes were Grandparents day (Monday), Denim day (Tuesday), Hippie day (Wednesday), Hero Vs. Villain (Thursday), and Mismatch day (Friday). Picture from school’s website.
The excitement of picking out the coolest outfit I can imagine to fit the day’s theme is one of the many things I enjoy from Spirit Week. I love it not only because we can dress silly, but because I can dress however I like even if it looks silly, because that's the point of it. My favorite thing, however, is looking at the fun and cool outfits of my friends and students here at school. I think it's the perfect way to let students portray their creativity, especially through something we like: fashion and clothes (especially comfortable ones).
However, not all is fun and games. Letting loose and dressing up silly can be hard for some students. The stress of not finding anything to fit the theme or feeling scared to be the only one dressed up in the whole school (which is very unlikely to happen) might be a big barrier for students to dress accordingly and have fun.
This year, many students and teachers went all out with their costumes, especially during grandparents and hippie day, with their flared, fun colored jeans, flowered long-sleeved blouses, and their forehead headbands, giving that John Lennon look. It was certainly an interesting Spirit Week year, especially with all the trends that have appeared during this year in the fashion department.
Nonetheless, another big part of the students chose not to dress up and even came with their uniforms. The lack of spirit week spirit was greatly shown this year, especially during grandparents and superhero vs. villain. Many people claimed that the days were too repetitive and not really creative. Personally, I felt that this year’s spirit week was one of the less dressed-up.
As I mentioned above, one of the reasons why people didn’t bother to dress up was because the days were too repetitive and worn out, as stated by sophomores Lucia Salvo, Valentina Mierisch, and Adriana Martinez. “I think that spirit week will be perceived with more excitement if the themes were in a more closed category, of things that are known to appeal to students, like the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) or chick flicks,” said freshman Ana Sofia Chamorro.
Even though I really liked some of this year’s themes, like grandparents' day, I think that the lacking spirit issue could be solved by updating the themes into actual trends or creating new fun themes that our generation would enjoy. Some themes that would be great to have next year could include Y2K, Dress Like The Other Person, Met Gala (as in innovating with simple clothing pieces), or dressing up as your favorite artist.
Below I'll be putting some of my favorite outfits from this year's Spirit Week.
Some of my favorite outfits from “Grandparents Day.” On the left is freshman Karen Velasquez, in the middle freshmen María Clara Castillo and Camila Vargas, and on the right Ms. Narayana and freshman Marcela Castillo. Pictures taken by me.
Some of my favorite outfits from “Hippie Day.” On the left freshmen María Del Pilar Peñalba and on the right freshman Karen Velasquez. Pictures taken by Victoria Hueck.
Some of my favorite outfits from “Superhero Vs. Villain Day.” On the left freshman Camila Vargas as black widow and on the right Ms. Narayana as her last name. Pictures taken by me.
If I had to pick “best-dressed” I would certainly choose Ms. Narayana and Maria Del Pilar Peñalba (especially during Hippie Day). What were your favorite outfits for this year’s Spirit Week? Did you think this year’s themes were too repetitive and what themes would you like to see next year? You can comment below!