School spirit days occur in many schools throughout the world. These days give students a chance to dress up and bring them together. Here at Wakefield High School, these days are a big deal for students, we go all out and work together as one to create an outstanding atmosphere.

“I love dressing up, that’s my favorite thing to do,” senior Mia Crawford, head Wacko and member of the yearbook staff, said. “Any occasion of going beyond is my go-to.”

Participation is key for school spirit days to carry out the way they are intended. Senior Luke DiGiuseppe, who is also a head Wacko, has seen a difference in school spirit participation after COVID-19. 

“When Covid came around, lots of school spirit was lost in general,” DiGiuseppe said. “It’s nice to see a lot of it come back and student councils making [strong] efforts to do that.”

Homecoming week this year was themed “No Place Like Home.” Students across the school enjoyed PJ day, jersey day, anything but a backpack day, which was a favorite among many students, concert or country shirt day and Wakefield school colors day. The student council created the spirit days and they worked very diligently to create the best themes for our school.

“We do a summer retreat for the student council and that’s when we usually start planning homecoming,” Rachel Bentley, an advisor for student council and English teacher, said. “They decide on a theme first, and once they decided on a theme for the week, they then try to choose how they can implement that theme in their hall decorating as well as the spirit days.”

All of this hard work leads to the true purpose of spirit days: uniting the student body. These days allow conversations to start and bonds to form while also providing a time for students to relax. It tends to take the structure and stress out of school for a little while because you can enjoy bonding with your peers about cool outfits and fun decorations featured around the school.

“[These days] give [the students] a way to have something in common with someone,” Annie Furches, another advisor for student council and World Languages teacher said. “It definitely has some potential to bring kids together and also allow them a conversation starter. They might not have necessarily felt comfortable starting a conversation, [but] now they already have something to say, got a little more confidence and [have] something else to bring up with the student.”

Spirit days are fun to participate in and a way to make school exciting, but students benefit from these days. While dressing up to meet the themes, students can express themselves and embrace the day.

“I think that they’re a great way to bring people together [and get] people out of their comfort zone,” senior Norah Spina, a member of the yearbook committee, said. “It’s definitely exciting and a positive [experience].”

It’s always great to see students bonding over outfits during the spirit days, but that’s not the only thing they could talk about. For example, the student council decorates the halls to meet the theme and it’s uplifting to see the school portray so much spirit.

“It brings a fun atmosphere and environment to school and it’s nice to see,” DiGiuseppe said. “It helps build school spirit, [promote] unity [and] it makes students excited to come to school.”

People all across the school come together as one. Spirit is universal, inclusive and provides people with a sense of equality. No matter what you look like, what your background is or what you believe in, anyone and everyone can portray and participate in school spirit and no one should ever feel like they can’t join in on the fun.

“Spirit days bring all of us together,” Crawford said. “No matter our differences.”