Schools all over the nation dedicate days and or weeks to showing school spirit and by proxy, bring their communities together. Many students and staff consider spirit days to be important to a healthy educational environment. Because of this, hundreds of schools (San Marcos included!) have made spirit weeks a regular event in order to boost student morale and to spice up the monotonous school year.

Recently, San Marcos Senior High School had a round of rather interesting spirit days. It lasted a school week, each day harboring a new theme. The first of the five days was the classic pajama day, which was easily accomplished by the student body and staff alike. The next day was quite the hitter. Labeled “Adam Sandler day,” students were encouraged to dress in baggy shorts and large T-shirts, reminiscent of the famous actor’s style of clothing. Then came, simply put,  “Anything but a backpack day.” Like it states in the name, students brought anything they could find to carry their school supplies and work around that was not a backpack. This, as well as Adam Sandler day, was one of the favorites among San Marcos students. 

Contrasting the obscurity of Adam Sandler day, next came denim day. Many people showed up to school wearing entirely denim, while some just wore denim jeans or a denim jacket. Lastly was “Color Wars.” This was a day in which each grade was assigned a different color to wear. Freshman wore white, sophomores wore black, juniors wore blue, and seniors wore red. The student body and staff are both looking forward to our next spirit week, which will be once again orchestrated by the ASB of San Marcos and the staff.

School Spirit weeks may seem like a silly tradition, but they are integral to keeping school interesting, and building community among the student body and staff. Our ASB works tirelessly to make sure that our spirit weeks are fun, exciting, and entertaining for every person involved, even if they may have some disagreements about whether Adam Sandler Day is a smart choice. We all can not wait to see the creative ideas from the ASB of San Marcos for the next spirit week this year, and we can not wait to see the school spirit shown by the student body during it either!

“I think the spirit weeks are an embodiment of royal spirit and our pride that we share as a community,” said ASB school site council president and homecoming royal, Gabe Casey. He went on to share more of his thoughts on the spirit days that took place. “What I enjoyed about Adam Sandler day was not only the attire I saw but the extent to which students participated and were willing to dress outside of their comfort zone. It took more commitment than denim day, for instance.” 

He shared with me an experience that he described as humbling while planning the themes for the spirit days that recently took place. The idea for Adam Sandler day was proposed by ASB sophomore class treasurer and school spirit week committee chair Gracie Fedor. “It was met with disdain and even slight ridicule, mostly by me,” said Gabe. “However, Gracie was very committed to this idea, and with the help of fellow committee members she worked to see it through. I admire her fortitude and willingness to push back, and see through to realize what was right: within her own integrity.”