By Juliana Pearson (October 24, 2001)

At the end of the second day of Homecoming Spirit Week sophomores and seniors were tied for the position of first place. As usual, the week before homecoming is filled with the hustle and bustle of inter-class rivalry, and the competition remains fierce.

The first opportunity for spirit points was the International Picnic at Cherry Hill Park. This was the first year that the annual event was an opportunity to gain spirit points for the classes. The sophomores and junior classes tied for the highest turnout, with 31 students each. The senior class was also well represented, with 18 students present. Twelve freshmen were in attendance.

On Monday, students dressed up in Western garb to express their class unity on Mustang Corral Day, sponsored by the freshman class. There was many a cowboy hat and bolo tie to be seen. The sophomores had the highest number of students dressed up, with 74 percent of the class participating. The seniors followed close behind with 72 percent of the class dressed in Western-theme costumes. The freshmen came in third with 69 percent, and the juniors had 49 percent participation.

Monday afternoon, all classes participated in hall decorating. The freshmen finished first, the juniors second, the seniors third, and the sophomores fourth. As usual, the hall decorating judging was controversial. Many seniors were especially angered by the class’s third place finish. They did not feel it reflected their effort, nevertheless, the seniors were proud of their spirit and togetherness. "We worked for hours this weekend preparing for hall decorating. Everybody worked so hard. It was a team effort. We had almost the whole grade there. We tried to cover all aspects of life at Mason. It was the best effort the senior class has ever shown. I haven’t ever seen our class connect like this before," said senior Adrienne Thompson.

Despite the inevitable controversies borne of rivalry, the senior class had the chance to recover Monday evening with the highest attendance at the Lady Mustang’s home game. The sophomores had the second highest attendance rate followed by he junior and freshman classes.

Tuesday was Monster Mania Day, sponsored by the sophomore class. The senior class was once again victorious, with 61 percent of the class dressing up. The sophomore and freshman classes tied for second place with 58 percent, followed by the junior class with 41 percent.

Tuesday afternoon, the sophomore and freshman classes faced each other in a kick ball match. GM students have 3 more spirit days to gain points for their classes. Wednesday will be Sci-fi Day, Thursday Magic Kingdom day, and Friday the traditional Red and White Day. Friday, the junior and senior girls will face each other in the powderpuff football game, followed by the pep rally at 7:30. The week will culminate with the homecoming football game and dance on Saturday. The homecoming dance’s theme this year is "Once Upon a Time." Check Lasso Online throughout the week for updates on these events.