By Tammy Ashworth (October 3, 2002)

The final battle of the pre-Homecoming school spirit wars culminated in a winning comeback for the senior class at the pep rally this past Friday evening. Hundreds of GM students packed the gym, anxious to earn points for their classes by participating in such time-honored events as the tug of war and the relay race, as well as a new addition to the pep rally's lineup, the karaoke contest.

These persistent juniors triumphed against the sophomores in the first round of the tug of war. (Photo by Kristin Sommers)

The tension in the gym was palpable to the very end of this week-long close race as pep rally attendees consumed entire pies, arm wrestled, and screamed themselves hoarse, all in the name of class pride. Even the performances of the dance team and cheerleaders between contests did little to diffuse the fierce inter-class rivalry, particularly between the freshmen and the seniors.

From the beginning of spirit week, the freshmen had been in the lead, having won the hall decorating competition on Monday, as well as the kickball game on Tuesday, and receiving second place for participation each spirit day. But the seniors were close behind, despite the fact that their only first place win came on Disco Day, and that they had also received fourth place for Hip-Hop Day, and third place on both Oldies Day and Swing Day. Still, the seniors needed one last big push to beat these unexpected nemeses. 
  

That help came in the form of a senior triumph over the juniors in the Powderpuff football game on Friday afternoon. Aysha Twose scored a touchdown in the very first seconds of the game, and from there, the seniors were unstoppable, winning the game with an impressive final score of 13-0. Seniors were not so lucky in attendance, however, missing the mark by three. Thus, the seniors entered the pep rally Friday night in a much more comfortable position, but they couldn’t get too complacent: The ever-spirited junior class was still in third place overall, and had racked up three first place wins during the week for Oldies, Hip-Hop, and Swing Day. Trailing the juniors were the sophomores, who consistently took third and fourth place honors throughout the week, and were looking for redemption.

The senior Powderpuff team hit hard and hit low against the juniors on Friday afternoon, winning 13-0. (Photo by Tammy Ashworth)

Spirit week now at an end, Masonites put aside their class rivalries and reunited for Saturday's all-school events, channeling their intense class pride into a renewed and stronger school unity. This unity undoubtedly helped bolster the football team, who won the Homecoming game 12-6 over Goochland that Saturday afternoon. (Click here to read the full story.)
 

Juniors Farrel Oxley and Casey Smirinopolous join the other members of the Homecoming court. (Photo by Kate O'Hara)

The football players and game-goers were in for a series of half-time performances and surprises. The cheerleaders and dance team performed several spirited routines, accompanied by the band. And, as always, the Homecoming court was presented, with seniors Kris Gronlie and Marie Stoner crowned as the 2002 Homecoming king and queen. (You can view the front-page photo here.) A near record-breaking 360 students attended the “Zoot Suit Riot”-themed Homecoming dance Saturday night, which featured a highly applauded performance by six talented local swing dancers. In all, spirit week and Homecoming 2002 was an unforgettable and exciting experience for everyone involved, and one, many students say, that only gets better with each passing year. Be sure to check out Candid Campus for more pictures of spirit week and Homecoming.