By Sujin Kim ’18, Marketing and Communications Student Intern
Spirit Week is a favorite tradition at MFS. In the weeks, even months, leading up to the time-honored tradition, classes come together to brainstorm, organize, and plan in the hopes of claiming the title of Spirit Week champions.
For three days of the week classes choose themes for dress-up days. This Monday, to kick off the week, freshmen did a white-out day, sophomores chose to go preppy, juniors were their favorite cereal box characters, and seniors dressed for a day at the beach. For the other two days, classes wear their class shirts for tug-o-war (classes design their shirts themselves), and Friday is the annual red-and-blue day, where students win points for their class by dressing up in school colors.
The four classes also compete in MFS Spirit Week events, such as the Slimy Fish Toss, the Eliminator, hallway decorating, and airband. A breakdown of all the Spirit Week events:
- Slimy Fish Toss – Two girls and two boys from each grade coat their hands in vaseline and baby oil and toss a slippery toy fish to each other. Dropped fishes and crossing the boundary line cause elimination. Each time the fish is caught, the competitor must move further back to the next line. The last grade standing wins!
- Jell-O Eating – A representative from each grade is chosen to try and finish an entire pan of Jell-O first. The catch? Competitors must have their hands tied behind their backs!
- MFS Quiz – A new event for 2015, each grade sends a team of two girls and two boys to the stage to compete in a Jeopardy-style trivia game. All four classes compete against each other, and the team with the most points wins!
- The Eliminator – This event is a unique version of a relay race. It involves a crab-walking race, a wheelbarrow race and a tricycle challenge. The grade to finish all the legs of the race first wins.
- Tug-O-War – The notorious tug-o-war is always a favorite. Grades select a team of girls and a team of boys to challenge the other three grades. Students wear their class t-shirts on tug-o-war day to show class pride!
- Hallway Decorating and Hallway night – On Thursday night of Spirit Week, students stay after school until 10 p.m. to decorate their class hallways. Previous hallway themes have included Shark Week, Candy Land, and Harry Potter to name a few. Winners are determined by a panel of faculty and staff, with input from Lower School students as well!
- Airbands – To close the week, each grade prepares a performance of dances and skits set to music, and performs for the Upper School and a panel of faculty and staff judges. Airbands are scored on costumes, choreography, lip syncing, and organization/transitions.
- Operation Smile Penny Game – Throughout the week, students drop coins into collection jars in the Dean’s office. Every penny is worth one point. Any other American currency is negative points based on that currency’s value. The grade with the most points wins! All proceeds go to Operation Smile, a foundation that works to help children with cleft palates.
Spirit Week brings people together like nothing else. Classes must work as a team to produce their hallways and airbands, and to decide on theme days and event competitors. The spirit of teamwork and class pride is infectious, and by the end of the week classes have become closer through bonding and a lot of hard work. Spirit Week is a time-honored tradition at MFS, and will remain one for many years to come.