There has come and gone a time of the year that many students have always loved. It is a time that allows students to include a little fun and creativity into their days. Spirit week has officially concluded for this year, but with many things, there are always those who were less enthusiastic than others. There are many different ideas of what spirit should be or should have been, and some students may have had higher expectations this year than what was given. The thing is, what do students expect more of? 

A lot of students have said that the daily themes and ideas could have been more creative, with more inclusive themes that allow students to show variety. Some showed disappointment or displeasure simply for the lack of imagination put behind making the themes, while others cared more for themes that were easier to participate in. 

Along with concern for more creativity, a lot of students cared for participation turnouts and student involvement. Many students who responded in a survey said they wanted more student-involved voting for the themes. Students having a say in these could mean better participation turnout within the student body. Along with this, higher participation could mean more comfort for students who devoutly participate. Some students have said they sometimes feel uncomfortable when there aren’t a lot of participants.

“I don’t enjoy feeling singled out if you are the only person that dresses up for the theme. The less participation, the more awkward it is to show up to school in your spirit week outfit and just feel out of place because no one else wanted to participate.”  Says Meagan Roths

Student participation is often the top priority for organizers of spirit week, so finding new and efficient ways to increase participation should be highly considered, especially when they come from the student body. Additional ideas such as rewarding small prizes for having the “best costume”, or letting students vote on favorite days and outfits could be easily done to produce higher participation. Larger scale ideas may include pep rallies with mini-games and other activities. Even the smallest efforts in making students enjoy spirit week more could drastically change the opinion as a whole. 

Overall, the point of spirit week is to allow students to have fun, and finding the best ways to do so should be an important aspect of planning the week. Despite this, encouraging some students to let loose and show off a little spirit can be hard. This week of the year is meant for those who truly like to have fun dressing up in odd outfits and showing spirit. The best anyone can do is give the students a week to simply have a little fun regardless of what the themes are and who participates.