By: MADELINE CHOU & ANDREW NGUYEN
Staff Writers
Dress-Up Days
Students school-wide showed up in their red, white and blue best to start up this year’s first dress up day: ‘Merica Monday. Students were spotted with patriotic gear ranging from stars-and-stripes hats to some “pretty snazzy looking flag pants” as Jamie Han (Sr.) so eloquently put. Rumor has it that some bald eagles were spotted too.
‘Merica Monday was followed with a massive wave of blue as students dressed up in the 70’s signature denim-on-denim look on Tuesday. The sheer amount of participating students probably made the school look like it got taken over by some strange denim cult, but who can complain? Everyone looked fabulous.
Then the mouse ears came out. Wednesday’s theme made the student body sprout ears and tails as the magic of Disney washed over the school. Childhood princesses and characters fluttered about the school in anticipation of Thursday’s Spirit Night.
But everyone (especially the council members!) were pretty tired. What better way is there to show class spirit and catch up on some sleep than wearing class shirts and pj bottoms? Some students carried stuffed toys to complete the look while others cocooned themselves in blankets and padded around campus with fuzzy slippers.
And finally, to top off Spirit Week, students bathed the school in a sea of blue as they showed off their spirit for Trojan Army Day. From bandannas to just plain old solid blue, students gave a final hurrah to end a spectacular week of Trojan Spirit. Go Trojans!
Spirit Night
Once upon a time, the 300’s transformed into a land of… Disney princesses?!
The Seniors opened with the world of Tangled: Rapunzel’s iconic tower with her long braid of golden hair and the romantic boat scene where Rapunzel and Flynn Rider sat in a bed of lantern and lights. But something’s a bit off about it…could it be the age old problem? “They just can’t his [Flynn’s] nose right!” laughed Chandlyr Denaro (Sr.). Regardless, she still thought that it was definitely her favorite part of the senior display.
In front of the lanterns and boat, a poison apple stand opened, showcasing its first victim, Snow White herself, on a raised bed of flowers and the apple she took a bite out of an arm’s length away. Students were startled by her eerie lifelikeness. Maybe it’s a real corpse? Some wouldn’t be surprised.
The journey continued at Cinderella’s iconic castle, which spanned almost a third of the 300’s building. “I thought the castle was a definite plus for the Seniors as a whole” remarked Jack Ren (Sr.) This eye-catching structure, though extremely difficult to put up and construct, ended up being one of the most impressive displays in the Senior section.
Thena lively world of whirling tea sets and steaming cups emerged as Aladdin and Jasmine flew over the koi fish on their magic carpet. Some students reported to have maybe seen six Aladdins all at the same time. Probably should’ve held off on those poison apples.
Lunchfests
As expected, lunchfests were nothing less than heated this year. On Monday, the seniors were unable to make their mark, allowing underclassmen to take the lead. Though the seniors succeeded in the scavenger hunt on Tuesday, they were still unable to establish themselves as the clear winner. By Wednesday, however, the seniors pulled ahead with their victory in Name-That-Song. On Thursday, the senior council advisors, Mr. Garcia (English Dept.) and Ms. Thompson (Science Dept.), represented the class in a series of games including charades and T-shirt wearing. For the most part,the senior class’ performance slowly gained momentum as the week progressed. Some have noted how this trend reflects the class’ performance all throughout of high school. Darrah Shaygan (Sr.) noticed how, “[their] school spirit has increased every year,” and consequently, “the happiness on [their] class’ faces when [they] won.”
The class of 2017 has often faced doubt through high school in regards to how well they were able to perform for school activities. When asked about the matter, senior council member Souhail Siddiqi (Sr.) said he dealt with it by “staying motivated and focusing on winning,” which evidently proved useful by the end of the week. Though the senior class encountered strong opposition from the other classes, they still managed to take first place.
Workhouses
Upon the sight of such grand and magnificent structures, murals, and productions during Spirit Night, one certainly wonders how it can all be done. The answer lies within the workhouses: the birthplace of said structures, murals, and productions. The seniors’ most notable structures included the Disney Castle, Cinderella’s carriage, and Rapunzel’s tower, while their murals varied from notorious Disney scenes derived from Aladdin, Cinderella, and several others. Council member Sam Grigg (Sr.) stated that her most memorable moment was finishing an entire structure, the apple stand, in one night. “It was great to have something done so quickly, and putting the final nail (literally) was the best thing ever.”
Senior Class President Sara Way (Sr.) modestly credited the success of the Disney Castle to several people ranging from non-council members to her very own vice presidents, Serena Wu (Sr.) and Neha Krishnam (Sr.). Sara Way noted, “it was difficult trying to come up with the blueprint, but we were able to get it done the way we envisioned it.” As one might expect, there are several other obstacles councils encounter when attempting to build the structures in addition to blueprinting. For Sara, it was “motivating [her] class,” and encouraging her peers to “have faith in themselves.” Sam, on the other hand, found organizing the workhouses to be more challenging.
Nonetheless, the senior class managed to pull through the countless hours of cutting wood and painting murals to ultimately create a truly magical experience. But, like all journeys, it must end, preferably with a happily ever after.
Homecoming
At the Homecoming game this Friday, Dillon Sun (Sr.) and Vicki Chen (Sr.) were crowned Homecoming King and Queen. On Saturday, “Once Upon a Homecoming,” this year’s animation-themed Homecoming dance, was held in the big gym.
Conclusion
Seldom are the students of our high school offered the opportunity to escape their lives of tests and homework for a world of fairytales and nostalgia. It is with that do we thank each class for offering our school and its students such a humbling and memorable experience.
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Seniors Shout for Spirit: Spirit Week 2016
October 26, 2016
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