This week was Spirit Week, and I asked South students why or why not they chose to participate. Freshman Tessa Wu said she enjoys Spirit Week because it’s “a fun time for students to participate [and show] school spirit,” 

Senior Marc Sieman said, “Spirit week is a perfect way to unite students.” Sieman pointed out that Spirit Week can be a way for students to make friends through shared interests. 

However, other students view Spirit Week as completely ineffective. “You just wear clothes, and that’s it,” junior Landon Murray said. He added that more students might participate if the school used “cool theme[s] [that] everyone likes.” 

Sieman recommended a few ideas for future Spirit Week themes that may gauge more participation. “I think an effective theme is [one] that’s related to current events that everyone would know about,” he said. 

Sieman explained that he believes pop culture-related themes would excite students for Spirit Week and increase participation.

While spirit week themes may not always resonate with everyone, they remain a fun way to build excitement for homecoming as anticipation for the big game and dance builds throughout the week.