Spirit Week is one of the most iconic events at University High School. From the momentous structures to the numerous aromas pulling you every which way, it is a unique school-bonding experience that is offered only at UHS.
One of the most famous parts of Spirit Night is the battle of the classes. Every grade level paints murals, provides food and builds structures. This, in combination with lunchfests, determines which class will be crowned the winner of Spirit Night.
The most interactive portion of Spirit Night is the painting of the murals. All grade levels have numerous murals, each painted at one of numerous class workhouses. While all classes tried incredibly hard and put large amounts of effort into their drawings, I believe this Spirit Week’s mural winner is “The Polar Express” by the juniors. As soon as you enter the winter wonderland, the smell of cocoa in the air, along with nostalgic posters of movies from when you were a kid bring you back to “the good old days.”
The Spirit Week structures take hours upon hours of meticulous planning and construction to complete. For this event, the freshman constructed a flower shop while the sophomores had numerous smaller structures, including pumpkins and mini pickup trucks. Juniors opted to build a massive gingerbread house and a New Year’s ball drop, while seniors constructed a lifeguard tower and a boat. All the structures reflected the amount of effort that went into each one, but the two best structures tied for first place are the juniors’ gingerbread house and the seniors’ lifeguard tower. Both structures were enormous, and each had defining characteristics that set them apart.
One of the most popular aspects of Spirit Night is the food that each class offers. This year, the food options were plentiful and diverse. Freshmen did not provide any food so they are not eligible to win this competition. Sophomores, on the other hand, had a trick-or-treat-themed booth that offered candy and apple cider. This booth was very nicely themed and decorated, and the candy was delicious! Juniors offered hot cocoa and cookie decorating throughout the 200’s wing. Putting the hot cocoa stand inside of the gingerbread house was very creative. Unfortunately, cookies were in extremely limited supply, and the need to warm more water for the cocoa resulted in an unsteady supply of treats. Still, the hot chocolate was enjoyable, especially since it was a cold night. Seniors provided snow cones and popcorn for their summer-themed area. The people running the booth were very energetic and excited to be there, enhancing the mood of the area. Overall, sophomores won this aspect of the competition because of the nostalgia that the booth brought me, in addition to the spooky vibe of the area.
Numerous other things made Spirit Night special. One of these events is the special performances that certain classes choose to have throughout the night. This year the upperclassmen had such events, with the junior class having a New Year’s Eve ball drop and the senior class having summer concerts. Both of these events were equally fun. All classes and event areas were themed accordingly, and all classes did a good job of transporting you into their season. Overall, the upperclassmen are victorious in this section of the judging, only because they had special performances, while the lowerclassmen opted not to.
Concludingly, all classes did a great job in carrying on one of the traditions that makes UHS so unique. In terms of the contest, Juniors win the competition and are crowned the winners of spirit week. They are followed by seniors as a very close second, and they are tailed by the sophomores and freshmen after them.
