By Riley Gonzales, News Editor
River Hill’s homecoming dance fell on Saturday, October 1st. In the week leading up to it, students celebrated by dressing up for a different theme every day.
Spirit week is a long-held tradition at Howard County high schools, intended to boost school pride and build camaraderie among classmates. This year’s spirit week began on September 23rd with Flag Friday, then Tropical Tuesday, and Dynamic Duo on Wednesday. The last two spirit days are the same each year: Theme Thursday and Class Color Friday. On Theme Thursday, students dressed up as their class’s homecoming theme: spring for freshman, fall for sophomores, winter for juniors, and summer for seniors. Friday was another grade-centered theme, in which everyone wore their class’s respective color.
Students planned their outfit choices in advance, and they seemed very enthusiastic about Wednesday’s theme. Junior Hallie Goldstein explained, “There’s a duo day, so me and my friend were talking about bringing back one of our Halloween costumes from a few years ago.”
Junior Divya Kumar was also looking forward to this theme. “I think I’m going to do Dynamic Duo,” she said, “but the last day, for class [colors], I don’t think I’m going to do it because of marching band.” Students who are involved in the Homecoming pep rally and football game were unable to wear their class colors that Friday, as they were dressed in their respective uniforms. However, that still left the rest of spirit week for them to enjoy and to put in as much effort as they wish.
There are differing opinions about the homecoming theme itself, though. Some, like Hallie, are enthusiastic about the four seasons idea. She shared, “I like the season theme. I think it’s a good idea. I’m excited, and I’m excited to see what the different grades can do with them. I think a lot of cool colors can be incorporated with it.”
Sophomore Cora Cheer feels differently, though. She explained,“For the hallways I think it’s going to look super cool, but it’s like, how are we going to represent that, you know?” She worries that it’ll be difficult to put together an outfit that will fit “the four seasons.”
Cora isn’t the only one concerned with how to dress for the theme. Jonas Van Kirk, a sophomore, stated, “I don’t know how I’m going to dress ‘fall.’” Though some questioned how to apply the seasons to their outfits choices, River Hill students were able to make it work, and a number of students arrived in school on Thursday dressed according to their theme.
Spirit week is an event many look forward to each year because it brings the school’s community together, and builds up to the climax of the week: the homecoming dance. As Divya expressed, “It’s just a good way to be involved with your friends.”