Elkhart High School is kicking off spring in a spirited way! With Spring Spirit Week beginning on Monday with the Powder Puff game,  students and teachers all around campus are budding with excitement.

And, with dress up days–like Pajama Day and even Boomer Day–there’s a lot to be excited for. “I’m excited for Movie Character Day, definitely,” exclaims Onyx Dill, a junior at Elkhart High School. “I don’t have a movie character in mind, but I have a lot of things at my house that I can play around with.” It can be hard to just choose one day to be excited for, though. Mr. Michael Pawlak, a social studies teacher at Elkhart High School, says, “I’m excited for Hawaiian Day, and I’m super excited for Sadie Hawkins Day, because who doesn’t like Westerns?”

Some people prefer to keep spirit weeks to a minimum when it comes to dressing up, but Dill and Pawlak both are planning to go all out. People “going all out” seems to really be the fun of spirit weeks, as Dill notes, “I love to see what everyone else comes up with!” Dill also continues by addressing why spirit weeks are fun to students and even teachers when explaining, “It kind of makes school fun. It gives us little things to do throughout the year–spirit weeks add more creativity to the week.” Continuing, Dill adds, “As for myself, I’m a very creative person; it’s an outlet for me. So, being able to show that at school, more than just through a normal wardrobe, without getting in trouble is really great.”

Elkhart High has had many different spirit days looking back throughout the year. There have been days like Anything-but-a-Backpack Day, and Elkhart Apparel Day. But, for Dill and Pawlak, they both share a fond memory of Throwback Day. Dill shares how interesting it is  to observe the different eras some people dress up as. “I came to school with an outfit more from the 70’s and 80’s, while one of my friends came to school in a long dress and a corset. So you see that different spectrum of creativity and it’s really fun to experience.”

Spring Spirit Day isn’t all just for the students, though. Many teachers and staff members at Elkhart High adore to dress up with their students and just have fun with the different themes. “There’s a lot of ways you can get involved as a teacher and show students that you care about them and that you have a silly side,” Pawlak mentions. “It’s just one of those great ways to allow students to see that I’m not always dressed up in this black shirt and grey pants uniform and that I’m able to have fun. It’s just a great way to relate to students and students to relate to us as teachers.” 

Whether students and teachers plan to dress up or not, this Spirit Week will definitely be a good one–and hopefully one to remember. Don’t put this spirit week to waste! Don’t forget to go see the first girls Powder Puff game, May 13 at Rice Field, to support and cheer on the Elkhart Lions!