Pride, pep and Panthers exercised during Spirit Week
Loud cheers from groups of students with each individual in a group mirroring each other was the scene during the Glenboro Panther’s Pep Rally as the teachers took on the grade 11 and 12 students on the Volleyball court las week. Although the game was serious to all those on the court, it was all in fun – a core part of Glenboro School’s traditional Spirit Week. Unlike Halloween, Spirit Week isn’t about spooky spells, tricks and creative costumes. Ryan Diehl, Glenboro School Principal commented that Spirit Week drives school pride, fosters community, and encourages student engagement.
Each day had a unique theme for the entire school, from Kindergarten through Grade 12. Although the younger students had different themes than those in middle and high school, everyone joined in on Tuesday for Panther Pride Day, celebrating their designated “Pride groups” that each student becomes part of when they start Kindergarten. “Each student is matched up with a teacher their first year, and they stay in that same Pride group until they graduate. It’s a bit like a life sentence,” Ryan joked. The Pride group program began about five years ago and Ryan feels it has been wonderful for the students and has contributed to a positive culture as well as a fantastic way to celebrate being a K-12 school.
The Tuesday Pride day was also a Panther pep rally as they watched and cheered on Volleyball games between grade 11 & 12 students and the teachers.
Other themes for the middle and high school students included ‘Dress as Your Type’ (where students dressed as someone they thought was “pretty” or “handsome”), ‘Rhyme Without Reason,’ and ‘Halloween Costume’ day on Thursday, which saw everyone from Kindergarten to Grade 12 in costume. “I was really impressed with the creativity the kids showed, especially for ‘Rhyme Without Reason’. They could team up in pairs or larger groups, with each person wearing a costume that had nothing to do with the others. It showed how much thought they put into it,” Diehl said. His point was evident when he described two students dressed as a jersey cow and a delicate fairy, perfectly embodying their rhyming theme of “Dairy and a Fairy.
The early year students started off their school week wearing something either orange or black and their PJ’s on Wednesday. To celebrate Halloween, they watched the movie; “Scooby-Doo Camp Scare” while the older students went to the Gaiety Theatre where they watched; “Speak No Evil.” Admission to the theatre was free if they brought a non-perishable food item to donate to Sarah’s Pantry.
As Spirit Week wrapped up on Thursday, it was easily felt the long time tradition is still alive and well and doing what it was intended to do: creating memories of laughter, community and pride, a tradition that is sure to last a long time.
Photo caption: Spirit Week at Glenboro School was filled with activities and themes that got every student from Kindergaren to Grade 12 involved.
