By Andrea Genovese Soares and Stephen Twentyman (October 24, 2003)

The senior class currently holds a slim lead over the sophomores as spirit week draws to a close, with 800 and 675 points respectively, followed by the freshmen (650), juniors (500), and faculty (350).
 

Spirit week competitions kicked off Saturday at Cherry Hill Park with the International Picnic, in which classes gained points for attendance. The faculty, in their first year of competition, won, although the seniors gained an immediate lead in the student competition, followed by the sophomores, juniors, and finally the freshmen. Monday brought the Batman theme day, a great success for the seniors who dressed the part to add to their spirit point total. The runner-ups were the freshmen, followed by the sophomores, juniors, and, last but not least, the faculty. Monday closed with the after-school hall decorations, once again won by the seniors, followed by the sophomores, freshmen, and juniors.

A group of seniors show off their Wizard of Oz  outfits on Tuesday as part of spirit week.  (Photo by Mery Kanashiro)

Each class chose a movie theme for their decorative effects. The senior hallway was based on Pirates of the Caribbean, the juniors decorated according to The Lord of the Rings, the sophomores turned the science hallway into The Wizard of Oz, and the freshmen hallway was turned into Batman’s Batcave.

On Tuesday, spirit soared as seniors once again won the big points, this time dressed as Wizard of Oz characters. The freshmen and juniors followed, while the sophomores and faculty tied to bring up the rear. After school on the softball field, the sophomores won the freshman-sophomore kickball game, both in points and attendance, although both classes involved won points for effort.

Students took advantage of the extra hour on this late arrival Wednesday to dress up for Lord of the Rings day, which the seniors yet again took, followed by the juniors, freshmen, and sophomores. The field day competition took place after school, where the seniors and juniors tied for first place overall. The seniors won the slingshot and soccer kick competitions while the juniors won both the softball throw and the basketball free throws to even the score.

"It seems like the most spirited spirit week ever!" gushed Ms. Shields. Competition is indeed fierce, but, as junior Rachel Reich added, "It ain’t over ‘til it’s over".

After school today (4:30 PM), there will be the annual junior-senior powder puff football game. The senior team, quarterbacked by Amanda Harrington and captained by Loreto Martinez and Rebecca Roa, takes on the juniors on the soccer field today under coach Matt Peetz’s guidance. Armed with their experience and motto ("We’ll take you, break you, fake you" – L. Martinez), the seniors will square off against their formidable younger competition, led by Katarina Zissios, for major spirit week points.

At 7:00 PM the annual homecoming pep rally will take place, featuring an array of competitions between the classes, including a pie-eating contest (in which the winner is the first to blow a bubble with a piece of gum hidden in the cream), tug-of-war, an arm wrestling contest, a relay race, and a clobbering of opposing mascots.

Spirit week culminates on Saturday with the football game against Clarke County at 2:00 PM. The homecoming court will be presented at halftime including the coronation of the homecoming royalty. The band and dance team will also perform. While hundreds watch the Mustangs battle it out on the gridiron, Evan Cunningham, Rahul Gupta, and Stephen Twentyman will be battling for glory in the WRC-4 studios as they compete in the It’s Academic taping. 

It all comes together on Saturday night, from 8:00 PM to midnight, as the Mustang Café is transformed into the dance floor. The theme for this year’s dance is "Red Carpet." "Our goal is to make everyone feel like a star," said Arya Namboodiri, who is in charge of the evening’s decorations. Two giant gold Mustangs have been created for the event by Mr. Brian Dickson.