Spirit Week, one of the most popular and stereotypical events in high school history, happens at the start of every year at almost every American school. However, the commotion of who wins spirit week is the epitome of the homecoming experience today at our school. 

Pep rally assemblies started in the early 1940s and 50s, where the school showed their school spirit with the LHS loyalty song. However, the spirit week that we all know today did not occur, possibly due to the small school population. However, in the late 1960s, the first signs of school spirit began to show. 

Rather than the fierce competition for spirit week, students competed by creating “Class Floats” for the homecoming parade, which started in 1969. The floats would be presented during the homecoming parade and the best float from whichever class would win. Along with the parade, there was a school-wide bonfire that everyone attended. The float tradition continued all the way through the 1990s and started to dwindle away during the early 2000s. Compared to the competition of spirit week today, winning the float competition for your class was a huge honor. 

By mid and the early 1980s, the first signs of dress-up days began to show. For example, in 1984, the dress-up days included “1960s Day, Toga Day, Beach Day, and Formal Day, and Blue and Gold Day.” Even though the school during this time period continues with the tradition of the class floats and the pep rally, Class Color Day still does not take part in spirit week. 

Class Color Day began in the early 2000s, and today, it is the most acclaimed event of spirit week by the majority of our students.  According to Danielle Hanson, Senior, “It’s fun to watch everyone compete against each other with a variety of intense games, and it’s a chance to show pride for your class.” Competitions with class banners also became a popular addition to spirit week around the same time Class Color Day began. 

The evolution of this hectic week has brought changes with old and new traditions. As the years go on, spirit week will continue to be a valuable part of the environment of our school, and the creation of new traditions and possibly the renewal of old traditions will continue to make this week one of the most memorable parts of the high school experience.