The bleachers erupted in celebration as clouds of powder, filled the air. The blue team scored the winning touchdown; the game neck-and-neck. The next day, at the pep rally, students faced off against each other in a spirited game of musical chairs before a packed audience. Both the powderpuff game and the pep rally marked a spirited Homecoming Week.

“When we all come together to share in an event like we did for the powder puff game or the subsequent pep rally, we promote togetherness and well, a vibe that becomes infectious,” Upper School Director of Student Engagement & Dean of Students Tyrone Sandaal said.

In recent years, students across campus have felt as though enthusiasm in school-wide events and activities has been fairly low. Senior Sophia Lambert signed up to play center in the powder puff game and reflected on her experience with school pride.

“Honestly school spirit hasn’t been the best, but I think powder puff really revitalized it. I got to build really meaningful connections with people I might not have ever spoken with,” Lambert said.

Junior Juliana Bravo Tancredi, who attended the game and dressed up for Spirit Week, said that these kinds of activities united her with her peers within and beyond her classes.

“Spirit week made me feel like I was part of a community; it was a great week with many fun ways to show school spirit, especially powder puff,” Tancredi said.

According to Sandaal, the underlying dip in school pride stemmed from the pandemic.

“COVID hit and all events paused and had then had to be reimagined for a hybrid school year… We have been building it back up from there so in my head this year represents an upward trend in school spirit,” Sandaal said.

Overall the impact of school spirit goes beyond dress-down days and bleeds into the fabric of life off  campus, offering a distraction from daily stressors for both students and faculty.

“That good feeling mitigates some of the hard feelings we deal with outside of school or in school in those moments when we are challenged by the hard work expected of us,” Sandaal said.