Spirit Week 2019: Day 3

by Kristin Lau January 9, 2019March 11, 2022 129

Sophomores rush to get as many people in their class as possible onto a platform. Photography by Timothy Dixon ('20)

At the the end of the third day of Spirit Week 2019, the senior and junior classes are tied in a tight race for the coveted Mana Cup after the day’s main event: Platform Jam.

Each grade had one minute to fit as many students as possible onto a platform and then remain on the platform for at least another additional 30 seconds. This year, the seniors won first place by managing to squeeze 80 students onto the platform. Then, tied for second place were the juniors and the eighth graders, each packing a total of 77 students onto the platform. Finally, the freshmen, sophomore and seventh grade classes tied for fourth place with 70 students each.

The dress-up theme for the day was “Workout Wednesday” and students worked hard to don their most sporty costumes—mostly without breaking a sweat. Arriving in neon sweatbands, many students sported colorful tights along with workout gear to match. This year, as a response to concerns raised about how the regular scoring system in the dress-up category was difficult for classes (often causing friction between class officers and those who did not want to dress up, thus costing a class dress-up points), the student council, prior to Spirit Week, decided to count “ties” differently for dress-up points. Last year, if five classes tied for first (receiving ten points), the sixth place class would receive only one point. This year, that sixth place class would receive eight, the number of points awarded to a second place finish. According to the student council, this allows for some consequence, but not so much that it necessarily demoralizes a class. While the regular score and ranking system still applies for assembly events like Tug-of-war, Capture the Flag, and Platform jam (as seen in the ties from today’s event), dress-up scores are being handled differently. Student Council faculty adviser Tony Traughber explained, “We want to run a Spirit Week that is a healthy competition, which means members of a class shouldn’t feel like they should turn against one another over dress-up points.”

Even though there are just two more days left in the competition, a majority of the points available have yet to be awarded. With Mascot, Banner, Pepper Squad and All-School Cheer categories up for grabs, it’s still anybody’s guess who will take home the Mana Cup.

Platform Jam Results:

4th: Tie between 7th, freshmen, and sophomores (70 people)
2nd: Tie between 8th and juniors (77 people)
1st: Seniors (80 people)

Overall Standings:

6th: Seventh (16 points)
5th: Freshmen (24 points)
4th: Eighth (35 points)
3rd: Sophomores (38 points)
1st: Tie between seniors and juniors (53 points)