“Face paint, crazy outfits, and an insane amount of school spirit,” perfectly describes spirit week, especially this year. Red lipstick and glitter paint every girls’ face on America Day. Each grades’ fastest runners sprint around the track during outdoor events as students scream at the top of their lungs during the pep rally.  The most anticipated week in the whole school year had finally arrived.

Going into spirit week, students were informed that it would be rather different this year. One major change was the removal of “the wall.” At first, this sounded terrible. Students in every grade were beyond angry about the removal of this time honored tradition. “The wall” theme day, was the one day where kids in each grade got together and came up with one common goal: to win. The night before, more than half the school would pack into the lower gym with random objects like blow up palm trees, hay stacks, and blenders. Without this event, the camaraderie would be lost. Little did students know that the “pod decorating” event would fulfill the void; some said it was even better.

Monday will forever be “Mismatch Day” when it comes to Spirit Week. Just like on previous Mismatch Days, students got really into it. Whether someone was wearing two different shoes, or a clashing shirt everyone at IHS found a way to make their outfit a little extraordinary.  This year, we had Neon Day. In the past we have done “blue clothes for diabetes,” and “pink clothes for breast cancer.” Neon represents Talia Duff, a young girl in the Ipswich Community who is battling a rare illness. If students wore Talia’s special neon laces, another point was added for their grade.

Lauren Gallant a senior who is a yearbook editor stated, “The amount of neon the entire school displayed was amazing. When looking up at the stands from the  field, all I saw was a wall of neon.” Another thing different about this day was that it was the first time that outdoor events were done on the new track. For this reason, a few events were eliminated like the pie eating contest.

Wednesday, is “America Day” a favorite throughout the school. Red, white, and blue splattered the entire school. Patriotic music blasted in the halls, as every student was covered head to toe in American colors.

Following this was the highly anticipated indoor events. Ranging from basketball shootout to musical chairs, many students from each grade got involved and kept their eye on the prize: winning for their grade. Each event was more competitive than the previous. Each grade gave it their all trying to get as most points as possible.

Following “America Day” was “Class Pod Theme Day” on Thursday. Going into this day many students did not know what to expect. Each class had an original theme displayed in their given area. Seniors decided to go with “Christmas,” Juniors did “Under the Sea,” Sophomores did “The Wizard of Oz,” and lastly, the Freshman did a “Zoo” theme. Each pod/entrance was decorated in a unique way. Paper snowflakes and Christmas lights covered the entrance to the school. In the morning, the image of a roaring fire on the TV crackled as students walked in. They were greeted by a very happy Buddy the Elf, and then were given the opportunity to listen to some Christmas carolers as well. Although the rest of the day was normal, this was like no other.

The final day of Spirit Week is always “Black and Orange day.” Each and every Senior wore matching shirts. Senior, Leah Harmon, when asked if Spirit week was more fun as an underclassman or senior said, “It was definitely more fun as a senior…there’s something about knowing it is our last spirit week that brings everyone together. Plus we basically know that we’re going to win no matter what.” As “Black and Orange day” continued, up next was the Talent Show and Teacher Skits. Both of these events caused an uproar of laughter. This bittersweet day marked the last Spirit Week event.  Seniors got a little teary eyed as “Sweet Caroline,” their freshman year song, played through a booming trombone.

To end another fabulous Spirit Week, the seniors, coming off a big Spirit Week win, organized the Homecoming Dance. This Saturday night event took place on the Saturday following Spirit Week. Each grade piled into the lower gym in Halloween costumes and semi formal attire.  The Freshman were excited for their first ever homecoming dance, and the Seniors realized that it would be their last. This was a Spirit Week that no high schooler will ever forget. Leah Harmon, a senior at IHS, when asked if she thought this Spirit Week was better than last year stated, “I thought that this Spirit Week was worse than last year. I actually really liked the pod/lobby decorating and that it went really well, but that that rest of Spirit Week was very limited, mainly due to the new schedule as well as the changes made. This seemed to be the common feeling that many students agreed upon. Spirit Week 2016 was a week of change and excitement for all students at Ipswich High School.