The week of October 14th is approaching rapidly, and we all know what that means: it is time for another year of Spirit Week at Oratory! As a senior myself, this will be my 4th and final spirit week, and I am hoping with this article to impart some of my knowledge to all of the younger classmen about how to get the best experience possible. Think of this as the “Spirit Week for Dummies”, and prepare to be educated.

The tag day themes are something that is usually hit or miss for me personally. I find myself wanting to participate in some of them, and for others, I decide to just dress in the normal dress code. My advice to you is do not feel pressured to dress down. Pick the days that you want and have fun with those, and never feel like you have to do all of the days if you do not want to. This year though, all of the themes are very doable, and they seem like they have something for everyone to enjoy, especially the white-out day and the blue and gold. 

To start the week off right on Monday the 14th there is a day off, always a great way to kick off a busy week. 

However, Tuesday is where it all goes down. The dodgeball tournament is the most important part of Spirit Week, and if you are going to participate in anything this year, make it this event. Honestly, there is nothing more fun than not only missing class, but also just getting out there with your friends and playing some dodgeball. Expect full duck, dip, dive, duck, and dodge out there on the court. My recommendation is to get out there and try, even if you don’t win there is value in just playing for fun. Also, look forward to the dodgeball power rankings article, definitely something everyone needs to read.

The last event to talk about is the talent show, which takes place on Friday. This is one that I personally have never participated in, but I know that I can always expect lots of enjoyment just from being in the audience. The show has a whole range of “talent”, from those who really can sing and dance, to pure ridiculousness and hilarity. To give you an idea, the serious talent always wins the show, but there have been many different unique acts. One act had the student eat super hot wings and try not to throw up, another had a group dancing around Mr. Gaertner singing the song “Sherry”. There have been yo-yo acts, dancing acts, even seniors just going up on stage and eating Italian food with Mr. Marsh (yes, that apparently is talent). Even if you don’t feel like you want to participate, definitely cheer on those that do and expect some good memories from the talent show.

If you take away anything from this article, it’s that you should just allow yourself to have fun with these events, that is what they are designed for. Let yourself forget about your classes for a while, and just enjoy the hilarious energy of Oratory. It’s not always about getting involved, because you can totally just enjoy the ride from the sidelines if you choose to. However, the more you can contribute to spirit week, the more enjoyable it is for everyone else.