Spirit Week is a peculiarly American middle school and high school concept that leaves us a little stunned and more than slightly bewildered. I never really quite understood the enormity of the concept in the division until I joined last year despite Cass giving me detailed breakdowns of the intricacies and intrigues of the week for years and years. It is an unstoppable force, a tsunami of emotion and chock full of bizarre rituals and quirky activities that could keep me writing for a month!
I'll save you from the minutia, but the broad brush strokes are fodder enough for a few laughs if not some cringe and surprise. The week starts to build momentum weeks before its official start as the team of kids and teachers tasked with organization begin putting some of the protocols in place. The eagerly awaited dress-up day schedule, when published, signals the official green light of the drag race which starts with a furious spin of the tyres, gains momentum very quickly and often ends in either a parachute to slow the juggernaut or a fiery wreck!
Even though teachers aren't officially counted, we're strongly "encouraged" to take part and set an "example" for the kids: as if they need any further encouragement. While we wear our pyjamas or cartoon character outfits we're still supposed to teach our respective lessons all week: it's bad enough that we look like spaz-dogs, but it's hard to keep a straight face when teaching Shakespearean soliloquies to an audience in fluffy slippers and onesies! As you can imagine, apart from the official "fun" activities, the classroom experience is draining and seems to last forever!
There is a special schedule all week which shortens the periods by 5 minutes each. This allows a 40 minute slot before lunch each day for cheers, games or practices. All of these events involve 600 teenagers screaming at the top of their lungs for interminable periods with great fervour and excitement. The result for the teachers varies. Some "kings of the kids" style teachers seem to wallow in nostalgia and transport themselves back to their own middle school days, whipping themselves into a frenzy, dressing with more commitment to the cause than most of the kids, and variously making fools of themselves. There are others who grin and bear it and complement their daily outfits with noise-cancelling headphones and smile at the ones who are freaking losing it! There are a range of types dotted along the spectrum from these two extremes. Can you guess where we are on the continuum?!
I could go on and on here but not only would it frighten you, the reader, but it would probably make me question my sanity when I recall some of activities I smiled and nodded to! Instead, I'll fast forward to the weekend which was dreary and wet, yet we still had a pretty good time. We got out and about on Saturday in the neighborhood armed with our trusty umbrellas. The wind was mercifully calm and the temperature mild, so despite and perhaps because of the rain, we had a pleasant stroll or two. We eventually mosied on down to the Very Thai restaurant where we had an absolutely delicious meal, partaking of many of our favourites including the fried eggplant and the shrimp pancakes and other morsels.
We getting ready for next weekend when Cass will undertake a flying visit to Australia for a week during our Spring Break. I'm tasked with caring for the grand old madam, Mary, and keeping the home fires burning. Cassy's parents will be cruising during our entire winter holiday, so she thought she'd take the opportunity to see them now. Photos today are dominated by our efforts to commit to each dress up day: pyjamas, retro, element, cartoon, colour and hair plus an odd kid shot and the relaxing Thai meal!