Spirit Week at UHS is one of the most labor-intensive yet memorable events of the year, and class councils are working hard to prepare various murals that will eventually be showcased around campus. 

Sophomore President Evan Zhong discussed his views on why events including mural workhouses are valuable for the school. 

“Workhouses like these strengthen the bond between our class, council and [UHS],” Zhong said. “They provide meaningful ways for students to lift community spirit and just generally bring students closer.”

Beyond the artistry itself, murals require extensive initiative and planning that can prove challenging for some. 

“Despite our struggles finding sufficient supplies and workhouse availability, creating the murals for Spirit Week has been manageable thanks to our Sophomore Council and class putting the work in as a team,” Zhong said. 

According to Freshman President Natalie Thompson, the class of 2026 has found their first Spirit Week preparations to be unexpectedly peaceful. 

“The planning experience for the murals went pretty smoothly overall,” Thompson said. “We owe that to the help of our Freshman Council and everyone who came on their own time to collaborate together and get it done.” 

Any obstacles aside, councils provide members of their class the opportunity to enjoy themselves with their friends. 

“I was kind of skeptical because I don’t often like attending school events or activities, but I had a lot of fun just being with everyone,” sophomore Alice Huang said. “It felt good knowing I was getting more involved with the school as well.”

Aside from encouraging students to unite together and bond over school spirit, the workhouses also give students an opportunity to showcase their artistic talents. 

“I enjoyed being a part of the whole artistic process,” sophomore Sara Yu said. “It’s cool to know that something I worked on and designed will be displayed to hundreds of other students.”

Ultimately, the time-consuming process of making murals proved to be a memorable experience for those involved. 

“I think it’s important for [UHS] students to feel pride in their school,” Yu said. “I hope that in the future, there will continue to be more opportunities for students to participate in activities like these.