The SPECTRUM

Volume 31

The SPECTRUM

The SPECTRUM

Campus Celebrations: A new student’s perspective

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Idalis McZeal ’22, Elliot Lichtman ’22 and Zoe Shin decorate pumpkins during the Halloween festivities. The event took place after school on Oct. 27.

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By Mohona Ganguly ’21

In the spirit of all of the past and upcoming holidays, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about experiencing unique celebrations at our school for the first time.

 In the spirit of all of the past and upcoming holidays, such as Halloween and Thanksgiving, I thought it would be appropriate to talk about experiencing unique celebrations at our school for the first time.
Spirit Week
The first day of Spirit Week was Decades Day. I remember meticulously planning out what I was going to wear, only to forget the next morning. Despite my lack of retro clothing, it was still heartening to see so many leg warmers, tinted glasses and poodle skirts, as it really showed school spirit.
Then came Spirit Day. The climax of the week of dressing up and showing school spirit. I was very excited, as I was going to my first ever pep rally. When it was time for the pep rally, I was excited when  the most spirited dresser contest was taking place, I nearly got hit in the face with a beachball and I was amazed during the student versus teacher dance battle. Both the students and the teachers looked so well prepared and the routines were choreographed well, showing the effort of the community. The activities after the pep rally were fun as well, as I (unsuccessfully) tried to hit people with water balloons and ate a large quantity of shaved ice. The whole day was so enjoyable, and I will never forget my first Spirit Day.
Retreat
Retreat is not a celebration in the traditional sense, but, as contrived as it might sound, I consider Retreat to be a celebration of our unity as a class. I went on the Lower River trip, and it was very enjoyable. We slept in tents, paddled in canoes during the day and laughed and talked with each other. The naturalists were very friendly, and the scenery of the Colorado River was  breathtaking. On the last night, we had a campfire. People danced, sang, told jokes and showed off their various talents. I made a lot of new friends and no longer felt like I was a “new student.” I was integrated into the community in a really fun way, although, I, like others, was bitten by many mosquitoes.
Halloween Celebrations
On the last day of the quarter, we were given Cinnabons during break, and the fall student council event was held. I was ecstatic, as I thought it was wonderful that we were getting rewarded with free Cinnabons. During the movie night, we decorated cookies, carved pumpkins, ate as many Tacos as our stomachs could hold and watched the movie Clue. It felt great to be able to experience so much with my new friends.
Reflection
The end of the First Quarter always brings up many questions for a student to answer about him or herself. How well did I do? What will my GPA be? How can I improve? Some common sights during the last week of the quarter are people running around, frantically turning in missing assignments, telling their friends how their math grade will surely drop because of their last test and some even punching numbers into calculators to get an estimate of their GPAs. Instead of trying to understand themselves as students and how they can improve, people tend to focus on just the grades that they have earned. I am also guilty of this type of behavior. Whenever I rant to my mother about getting a question wrong on my test, she always says, “It’s about the journey, not the destination.” If we can all focus on our individual journeys, we will surely find that our educations will become much more enjoyable rather than stressful. Although I was hearing numerous worried voices during the last weeks of the quarter here at the Middle School, I was also hearing, “I should have talked to my teacher about that,” “ I’ll make sure to do it next time” or “ I really should have studied more for that test.” There were students who were not only criticizing their own actions, but also posing solutions in the future, showing that we can all enjoy our journeys if we try to.
A lesson that I have learned during my first quarter is that working hard and doing well is important but so is taking time to enjoy and celebrate life and its simple pleasures, something that we should all strive for.
Giving Thanks
In the spirit of Thanksgiving which has just passed, I thought I should conclude with things that I am thankful for. I am thankful for the support of my family and my friends. I am also thankful for the wonderful experiences I have had at this school so far and am looking forward to more celebrations to come.
 
 

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