Between planning outfits for each day’s theme and rehearsing for the Pep Rally Dance, Spirit Week can be overwhelming for new students. Seniors who are a part of the senior class council and the Student Government Association (SGA) shared advice and their own stories to help underclassmen prepare for the week ahead.

Q&A 

Q: What is your favorite part of Spirit Week?

A: “My favorite Spirit Week event would probably be the moment the last beat is played in the Pep Rally Dance mix, and you hit that last move, and you realize that the three months of rehearsal has paid off.” — Digital media senior Josh Molnar

A: “It’s either the Generations Dance or Battle of the Bands. I like the music in Battle of the Bands (because) every grade brings their own unique style. Then for Generations Dance, it’s so cool seeing everyone be creative in their outfits and in their style of choreography. As an artist at an arts school, it’s something very enjoyable.” — Theatre senior Shane Rainsburg

A: “The most fun part about Spirit Week is experiencing these high spirits that everybody feels, that we’re just celebrating our victories and this collective feeling of ‘Oh, this is my class, and we’re graduating together.’ It’s very unifying.” — Digital media senior Olivia Le 

Q: What is unique about the school’s Spirit Week experience?

A: “Spirit Week at Dreyfoos is so different than other schools because our class spirit and culture is so enthusiastic. Everyone is cheering for others, and there is no toxicity, and everyone is always overwhelmingly supportive. Everyone is willing to give 110% into their energy, and it forms an inclusive environment.” — Molnar

A: “(We have) pizzazz, creativity, and a culture of students who really put their hearts into it. Dreyfoos is so unique in its student culture and its diversity of students, so I think all of that blended together makes a very good product at the end of the day.”  — Rainsburg

A: “I would say, since we don’t have a football team (or) homecoming, the amount of work that’s put into the Pep Rally is really tremendous. So I would say the intensity is pretty high.” — Le

Q: How has Spirit Week changed for you over the years?

A: “Not too many things, from what I know, have changed in SGA or class council (for Spirit Week) in the past few years, but I do know that being a key part of the Lip Dub and the day of filming the Lip Dub changing this year has been new elements of school spirit that have needed to be adapted to.” — Molnar

A: “I’ve slowly increased my involvement in Spirit Week. When I was a freshman, I didn’t do all of the days because I was like, ‘Dude, what are all these kids doing?’ But then I dressed up for a few days, and it was really fun. As the grades went on, and I did junior class council, I really involved myself in Spirit Week.” — Rainsburg

A: “I started as a photographer (for the class council during Spirit Week), so it was a lot of me running around trying to get good photos of people, but as I grew in officer rank, becoming vice president and then president, it was really interesting seeing the different work that’s put into Spirit Week beyond just having fun. It’s really recruiting and working to create this one huge event for the student body.”— Le

Q: What advice would you give to someone new to Spirit Week?

A: “Don’t overthink it. No matter what you do, you will have an amazing time. Since it’s your first year doing it, it’s going to be overwhelming and challenging. But, no matter what, it will always be worth it, and you will want to do it again. Keep a positive attitude the entire time, stay intense no matter what, and it will go by way too fast. Enjoy it.” — Molnar

A: “Scheduling really helps with planning out your outfits the week before, so instead of stressing every day about all the events, you can be ready for it and just enjoy it. In terms of the events themselves, and not just the outfits, pay attention to the schedule and DSOA Today and figure out ‘What do I have going on today?’’’ — Rainsburg

A: “Definitely be open to being hype. Definitely dress up. Don’t be afraid to be genuinely excited for an event because that’s the whole intent of the event. We hope that everybody gets to share this sort of Dreyfoos magic that we try to create for the Pep Rally.” — Le