By Kaitlyn Musante
Members of the middle school community dressed up in costume for the fourth annual Spirit Week on Oct 20-23. According to Student Council, who ran the event, Spirit Week is meant to excite the community for Homecoming through dress up days, games, a pep rally, and food.
“We changed up the theme days this year, and the overall participation was a lot greater than years before. I think it was amazing to see Friday’s Spirit Day and the number of over-the-top costumes there were, as it was a great example of school spirit and how much everyone loves Harvard-Westlake,” senator Caroline Cook ‘19 said.
This year, students dressed up with their peers for Twin Tuesday, East Coast Prep Wednesday, Throwback Thursday and Spirit Day on Friday. This was the first time both East Coast Prep day and Throwback Thursday have been included in the themed days of Spirit Week. Spirit Day was a common favorite among the three grades.
“My favorite day was Spirit Day because we got to dress up in our Harvard-Westlake colors and show our spirit. There were a lot of rides…and [it] was all really fun,” Jagger Lambert ‘21 said.
The pep rally also featured the annual costume contest. Students and teachers who donned spirited clothing were picked by members of the student council to go up on stage and be a contestant. Rimas Barzdukas ‘20 was named the winner, which was chosen by applause.
In addition, the pep rally featured a lip sync battle, with a faculty team, the Broken Hipsters, and two student teams, the Cheetah Girls and The Malcolm Xers. The Cheetah Girls performed “Cheetah Sisters,” The Malcolm Xers performed “Boys in da Valley” and The Broken Hipsters performed a mix of five songs, including “Shake It Off” and “Can’t Feel My Face.” The Broken Hipsters were declared the winners by audience applause.
Following the pep rally, students were free to participate in the activities that took place on the field, including an obstacle course and dunk tank. Students enjoyed shaved ice and participated in a water balloon toss.
Overall, students enjoyed the event and loved participating in the themed days.
“Spirit Week is a great way to bring the community together and show school pride … I loved dressing up with my classmates, and the pep rally was so much fun,” Julia Smith ‘19 said.