Students were able to add a fun accessory to their everyday uniforms, to start off the “Go Get it Week!”.
During this spirit week, students put uniforms aside and embraced the college spirit, with the help of the staff decorations promoting different colleges and programs. The week was filled with inspiration and options for all students.
“It is fun, a lot of people don’t really get an idea of what they want [un]til last minute, so the fact that the school is encouraging us to branch out and get new ideas is pretty good, because a lot of teachers here have gone to very different colleges and had different experiences,” freshman Lily Camacho said.
Welcoming the theme, students started this week accessorizing with an appropriate headpiece. While still following dress code, Camacho was able to wear a cowboy hat.
“I chose my hat because I thought it is kind of funny, and knowing college is kind of a more serious thing, but then again a fun experience, I thought I might as well take and hold on to those opportunities to be silly,” Camacho said.
In the second category, neon, there were few students who did not fully understand or agree with the chosen theme.
“I don’t think the neon theme relates to the overall theme, maybe I could see how they tied back to the bright future like they called it, but I think they could have picked a better subject. The one part that was nice was that a lot of people own neon clothes, so lot of people came wearing it, which was cool,” junior Francine Kern said.
Some students including sophomore Daniel Aung are drawn to the concept of a spirit week since it allows them to vary outfits, while also learning more about their teachers’ stories and experiences.
“It basically shows the differences in the school, since most teachers get some of their spirit from where they went to school. I also like spirit days because the shirt they give us is very uncomfortable, so the spirit days make it, so we don’t feel like we’re being put in a really thick suit,” Aung said.
Involving the teachers and staff invites them to play a major role in influencing and instructing teens in their decisions regarding future universities. During this week the teachers were encouraged to decorate their doors based on a university of their choice.
“I feel like it’s important for all the teachers to encourage students to find a path after they finish high school and showing them that there are different options and different colleges to choose from. So, I picked UCLA [University of California,Los Angeles] for my door because I went to UCLA back when I lived in California. I didn’t finish there but I did attend, so it’s one of my schools and I actually have family who graduated from UCLA. We are Bruins all the way,” biology teacher Diana Pereyra, who won second place in the high school door competition, said.
With this theme, many teachers can not only share their understanding of college but remember those golden days as well.
“My college experience was really different from high school. I feel like it’s more challenging, but in a good way. It’s a different experience because not only are you there to learn, like you are here, in high school, but also get to choose which direction you want to follow and go into the field you are most passionate about,” Pereyra said.
Later in the week, many students came wearing suits, blazers and button-down shirts, which is considered professional attire, to experience a day dressed for success.
“I really liked today’s theme because it makes us get all dressed up and look nice like we would if we were going to a job interview or work meeting. And those are all things we will eventually get to do someday, or have done recently so it is nice to be prepared for when it happens,” senior Karina Castillo said.
The last day of the spirit week was the “Show Your Spirit Day” where teens represented their preferred university when wearing their merchandise and showing off their hopes for the future.
“I chose a Johns Hopkins’s shirt because I would love to go there someday. I always wanted to be a doctor and their program really stood out to me. I still have time to decide because I’m a sophomore. But I’m looking at all my options since it is in Maryland so it’s really far away but I’m very into their school and I’m hoping to get to follow my dreams there one day,” sophomore Jaznei Hopkins said.
