After more than two and a half months of preparation, the UHS Associated Student Body (ASB) and student council finally got to show off their hard work to the students in this year’s Spirit Week, which ran from Sept. 26-30, 2022. With the special week filled with fun activities, crazy dress-up days and Spirit Night, Spirit Week was one of the most memorable events in the school year for many students.

Fun lunch fests were held every day from Monday to Thursday to kick off Spirit Week. Each day had a different activity for students to participate in at lunch: Monday was trivia, Tuesday was “Guess that Song,” Wednesday held the hectic watermelon eating contest and Thursday held an exciting scavenger hunt. 

“I would say that [one] of the most interesting highlights of Spirit Week was certainly the fun activities held at lunch,” freshman Jennifer Ren said. “My favorite one was definitely the watermelon contest. I think Spirit Week really brought together school spirit among students.”

Each day of Spirit Week also had a different theme to dress up for. Themes included Adam Sandler Day, Trojan Army Day and more. With the sight of many students dressing up in unique outfits to match the theme, dress-up days added a special highlight to Spirit Week. 

On Thursday, Spirit Night brought happy memories to many students by showcasing intricate murals, fun cardboard pop-ups, bright lights and festive music. With the event also doubling as a fundraising opportunity for clubs, many students came interested in what food and drinks their peers had for sale at their booths, though others came just to cheer on their classes. 

Each class also had its theme for the night, all of which were different literary genres: seniors were assigned the theme of romance, juniors decorated according to adventure, sophomores got mystery and the freshmen class had the trendy theme of Western. The incredible amount of work that each class council put in to have murals and visuals match their assigned theme was clearly shown.

Needless to say, each class council put its best foot forward in the week’s festivities. However, the sophomore class was particularly decked out for the dress-up days and was also one of the loudest to cheer at the lunch fests. It did not come as a surprise when the sophomores took the win in the last lunch fest and won second place overall after the senior class.

“The sophomore council spent three months preparing for this week,” Sophomore President Evan Zhong said. “As soon as summer started we held consistent meetings, calls and workhouses to ensure that we can foster a low-stress, spirited environment.”

Those on council were not the only sophomores that joined in on preparations, however.

“We had the most non-council participation [at workhouses] throughout the whole spirit week,” Zhong said. “The entire class worked so hard to prepare and it was everything to see it come together and pay off.” 

One of the special highlights of Spirit Night was the Spirit March, where almost all of the students who attended marched out to the soccer fields singing, “I Want It That Way” by the Backstreet Boys.

“The Spirit March was really exciting for me since you can really feel the school spirit,” junior Chi Huynh said. “The cool painted murals on the lockers in the juniors’ place seemed special since I know that every junior council member must have worked hard on it.”

To ensure that Spirit Week got the attention it deserved, each class council made great efforts to encourage students to participate in the activities as much as possible. This pushed many students to join the events, increased the amount of school spirit in the air and allowed students to interact with new people.

“Spirit Week allowed me to connect with members of the sophomore class that I had never interacted with before,” sophomore council member Sophia Whyel said. “I also appreciate the fact that even though Spirit Week is a class competition, at the end of the day we all support each other and together as a community at UNI, which is such a crucial part of our school.”

After all, having students at UHS come together is one of the main purposes of Spirit Week. To make this opportunity an option for every student, teachers helped by reducing course workloads for their students.

“I like how people are so excited about it, it is something that goes beyond student participation,” senior Univision member Daisy Wong said. “I also love how teachers also tried to encourage students to participate by keeping down the amount of homework.”

On Friday, students dressed up in their class colors and assembled in the gym. Each class cheered on loudly as their council members showcased their dances while the candidates chosen for Homecoming waltzed across the gym floor. Later that same day, the Homecoming game provided a refreshing way to conclude Spirit Week and allowed fellow Trojans to enjoy the last day of Spirit Week.

Though this year’s Spirit Week has since drawn to a close, the atmosphere of school spirit still hangs in the air. Memories of this year’s Spirit Week will be forever cherished by many Trojans.