The Pharcyde, 43.3

the

PHARCYDE

THE BENJAMIN SCHOOL NEWSPAPER

@thepharcyde_tbs

4875 Grandiflora Road, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418

4 October 2021

@thepharcyde_tbs

Volume 43

Issue 03

Homecoming 2021: A Spirited Week of Fun, Games, Football Leah Klein Staff Writer

Homecoming Week took place from Sept. 27th to Oct. 1st and featured many fun festivities in honor of the School’s history.

The School’s annual Homecoming Week typically ends with a Homecoming Dance, but this has been postponed due to COVID-19.

Dean of Students Mr. Kevin Jacobsen noted that there is hope to hold a dance this winter, perhaps to mark Valentine’s Day. Despite the setback, Student Council made sure that the week was packed with other thrilling activities.

Among the most important aspects of Homecoming are the different themes for each day of the week. The themes for the week were Decades Day, Student Teacher Swap Day, Country vs. Country Club Day, Dressing Day, and Class Theme Day. Upper School Social Studies teacher and Student Council Co-Sponsor, Anthony Hoy, explained how the week’s themes were decided.

“The Student Council actually deliberated for several weeks to come up with themes for the week.

They asked and polled students in their respective grades to come up with ideas. We were able to narrow it down to the ones for this week,” he said.

Students were encouraged to dress up and express their creativity.

Points were awarded to each grade for every student whose outfit coordinated with the day’s theme.

“I dressed up for French Day and Famous Freshman Day. I wore a mustache as well as a beret for French day,” said freshman Wilhelmina D’Loughy, excited to experience her first Homecoming Week.

School ended approximately 37 minutes earlier during this week to make time for a special festivity after

classes ended each school day: Quidditch, kickball, powderpuff (women’s football), male cheer, and water day.

The week culminated with Friday night’s football game. This year, The Bucs faced off against American Heritage from Delray.

Homecoming means more than just fun and games. It is a tradition that has been practiced in the United States since 1914.

Director of Marketing Mrs. Padon explained what Homecoming means, especially for The Benjamin School.

“Homecoming is an important tradition at any school, but it holds special meaning at TBS. It’s the perfect opportunity for students in all divisions to join together with parents, faculty, staff and alumni to show their Buccaneer pride,” said Mrs. Padon.

D’Loughy holds a similar understanding of what Homecoming means.

“Homecoming has always been a tradition in American high schools.

So Homecoming is a coming of age period that you experience every year for four years. Knowing that I am in high school now is really fun because now it is our turn to experience this American tradition,” said D’Loughy.

Mrs. Padon also talked about how Benjamin can showcase Homecoming on social media.

“We love to promote the fun ways that our student body enjoys Homecoming activities. Whether it’s highlighting costumes in an Instagram story or tweeting videos from activities during the week, we always have excellent social media interaction during Homecoming Week.” said Padon.

Homecoming Week 2021 is now in the books, and it’s safe to say that students and faculty alike felt that it was a success.

Homecoming Court Class of 2025 Homecoming Court Class of 2022

Homecoming Court Class of 2024

Mr. Carr, Sydney Steinger, Mr. Hoy, and Mr. Faus gathered by the bell tower during Student-Teacher Swap Day. The group was instrumental in organizing most of the events of Spirit Week.

(Photo by Leah Klein)

Memories of Homecoming 2021

Homecoming Court Class of 2023

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Sophomore Julian Janin prepares to pass the ball to wide open Hudson Byrne for an easy goal in the underclassmen match.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

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Spirit Week kicked off with Decades Day, where students showed up to campus in the freshest fits of their decades. A blast from the past for some of the older teachers, everyone got to see a glimpse into the closets of students and what they owned beyond the School uniform.

This same relaxed attitude followed into the first Spirit Week event, with Monday ending in quidditch matches between the grades. This classic Benjamin Spirit Week event ended up straying from its past, turning into a Spirit Week event Benjamin has never experienced or seen before.

Usually hosted in the gym, this year’s quidditch match occurred outside on Theofilos field due to COVID-19. There was a strict no-tackling rule for these quidditch matches, for obvious reasons such as the safety of students. However, with trading in the hardwood floors of the gym for the semi-softer turf of the football field, students had to work hard to catch the Snitch and avoid getting in trouble for tackling.

The shift from gym to field for all Spirit Week events is new and though the change seems slight, students still had to adapt to this shift.

“I’m thankful for the Student Council’s hard work. Moving from the gym to the football field bleachers was a challenge because, in the gym, it’s smaller and everything is more hyped. On the football field, it’s so big that we seem smaller and the crowd’s intensity drains out,” Senior Teresa Tuong said. “But because of the Student Council’s hard work, despite the fact that we’re a small com-

Kickball Games Mark End of Student-Teacher Swap Day, Senior Salehi Goes Bananas

munity, we made it work.”

Another shift in the game was the ‘brooms’ students had to use. In years past, old lacrosse and field hockey sticks fell victim to being dragged along as students scurried around the gym, chasing after one another and trying to make goals in the trashcan-goal-hoop, or winning it all by catching the infamous Golden Snitch, always played by Benjamin’s fastest and most athletic player (this year, Darrell Sweeting).

This year, these sticks were traded out for pool noodles, and this switch caused some chaos with rugged play on both sides of the pitch. Players were constantly warned about fouls, but the intense gameplay caused by the much larger playing area made following the rules difficult. Students used ingenuity, including duct-taping their pool noodles to their body, allowing for play to continue with less interuption.

Commenting on the game itself, Tuong found that “the competitiveness of the players was hectic but fun to watch. Overall, a great first day of my last Spirit Week here at Benjamin.”

Much like brooms in the Wizarding World, Benjamin’s match had its highs and lows. The seniors were deemed the losers after a disappointing loss to both freshmen and juniors, with the final winners being the juniors. Despite a big blow to the senior class, everyone ultimately seemed to enjoy themselves and remained appreciative of a great start to the week.

Junior Rocco Gaeta runs full speed down the field to score as time expires.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Clara Schor Social Media Director

Junior Gavin Aydelotte chucks the quaffle for a long pass in the Championship game. The juniors were able to defeat the sophomores, completing a “sweep” of the day’s matches while on their pool-noodle “brooms.”

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Sophomore Chauncey Bowens pushes his way through a crowd of freshmen defenders as he looks to score a goal in the underclassmen match.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Mathematics Teacher Mrs. Mays celebrates after her fellow faculty members lead their team to victory. The faculty played against the sophomores, to whom the seniors had lost. This caused a deviation from the faculty traditionally playing against the seniors.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Junior Brady Quinn shouts for his teammates to get open for a pass as.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Freshman Scott Noble tries to advance ball down the field as sophomore Hudson Byrne tries to steal it back.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Senior Max Gelinas tries to outrun the junior team in the upperclassmen match, eventually losing to the lower classmen in this round of quidditch.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Freshman Sawyer LeFevre tries to break free from the senior defense in the losers match of quidditch.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Junior Carter Smith runs to home base, dressed as Senora Gonzalez-Lopez.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Junior Brady Quinn looks for a pass as sophomore Joshua Luiz is getting closer to stealing the ball back from him.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

Upper School faculty members warm up and prepare for the final game against the student champions.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Sophomore Jacob Cosby-Mosley tries to find a way down the field as the sophomores battle the juniors in the Championship game.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

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Junior Rocco Geata slides into home plate, securing a home run for the junior class.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Quidditch Matches Bring Magic, Spirit to Homecoming Week Grace Kearns Staff Writer

Junior Carter Smith celebrates with his teammate after scoring a goal.

(Photo by Matt Marasco)

The Senior boys anticipate the ball as the Sophomores hit a soon-to-be home run.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Economics teacher Mr. Graham Wik shows off his pitching skills.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Junior Leo Byrne interviews Coach Fred German after the faculty defeat against the Sophomore class.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Sophomore Bella Baker, losing her Ms. Ford wig, sprints to first base.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Coming in on the second day of homecoming week, the theme of the day was Student Teacher Swap Day during which students and teachers swap outfits for the day.

For the Best Dressed competition, the freshman class was represented by Sawyer LeFevre, dressed as Coach Kresser; the sophomore class was represented by Tristan Mack, dressed as Social Studies teacher Mrs. Anne Franzen; junior Carter Smith represented his grade, dressed as Señora Maria Gonzalez Lopez; the senior class was represented by Cameron Salehi, dressed as a gorilla.

Overall, the sophomore class won the best dress for teacher swap day.

Tristan Mack, son of Mrs. Franzen, swapped with his mother today in a long striped blue dress and an orange cardigan of Mrs. Franzen’s. Mrs. Franzen also decided to take the opportunity in swapping clothes with Tristan, wearing his Benjamin khaki shorts and polo.

The activity at the end of the day consisted of kickball, a famous childrens and young adult activity played around America.

The first two games include the senior grade versus the sophomores while the second was the juniors versus the freshman. The third consisted of the winner of the two games playing each other and the last game was the winner of all grades against the faculty department.

The sophomores took a lead in both games they played against both

upperclassmen grades but were eventually defeated against the faculty.

Senior Mark Cueto chose to participate in Tuesday’s event because it reminded him of when he was little.

Cueto said, “In my neighborhood we used to play kickball after school everyday, so it felt good playing kickball again five years later with the people I love.”.

Upper School Counselor Dr. Renea Yates had the opportunity to play with fellow faculty members in the final kickball round against the sophomores. With the winning streak of the sophomores at 2-0, Dr. Yates helped motivate the faculty with the first home run for her team. After the faculty game, Dr. Yates said, “I loved it. Friendly competition is always fun and I think it is great for our students to see so many faculty members out there participating.”

When asked if she was surprised by the sopohmores taking the lead against upperclassmen and eventually playing the faculty, Yates mentioned, “I love it when the underdogs can pull off a victory.”

Traditionally, the last game is the faculty staff against the winner of all four grade levels, normally being the seniors, but this year, against past year traditions, the sophomores took the lead and played the faculty.

However, with the faculty containing some very qualified, competitive members, they were able to beat out the sophomores in this intense last round of kickball. Despite the deviation from tradition, the day ended with smiles and laughs.

Sophomore J. Paul Jacobs bunts the kickball in hopes of making it to first base in time against the juniors.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Student Council President Sydney Steinger interviews Best Dressed for Student Teacher Swap Day, sophomore Tristan Mack.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

Transportation Coordinator, US Athletic Operations, and Wrestling Coach Mr. Fred German kicks the ball towards third base but gets a foul instead.

(Photo by Clara Schor)

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Freshman Emily Simon sprints past junior Keira Hodum with the ball.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

4 October 2021

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Hump day of Homecoming Week brought with it students dressing as either country club or country and ended with a lively game of powderpuff on Theofilos Field.

The traditional late start Wednesday proceeded as normal was chalk full of opposites: the underclassmen roamed the hallways in tennis outfits and polo shirts while the upperclassmen pulled out their best overalls and country boots.

After a long day of parading around in their best country club and country outfits, students made their way out to the field to watch the powderpuff showdown, which is when all-girl teams representing their respective grades face off in flag football.

Student Council Co-Sponsor Mr. Anthony Hoy said that powderpuff is valuable to the School community, in part because of its uniqueness. “Powderpuff is an event that kind of flips the script on football... The School gets to cheer their grade levels and the girls who participate which is fun.

Also, we flip the script [again] with some of the cheerleading stuff like male cheer.”

The first game was between the sophomores and juniors, with the sophomores prevailing over the class of 2023. This game was not without antics: team coaches frequently ran onto the field in order to direct their teams and could be seen throwing clipboards and hats in anger.

The next match was a battle of the ages: the freshmen were set to face

Male Cheerleaders Bring Moves, LOL’s, and Hype To Stands Charlie Spungin

off with the seniors. Unfortunately, despite much hype surrounding them, the class of 2022 was quite ineffective and completed very few passes.

Commenting on their loss, senior Lili Valentini said: “It was a tough loss: quite embarrassing actually since it was freshmen. I think if we would have practiced a bit more it would have been a blowout. Hopefully we will get a redemption round sometime later this year.”

Thus, the day’s final game of powerpuff was set: it would be the freshmen versus the sophomores, a battle of the underclassmen. After a tight six minute match, the freshmen–who were considered to be the underdogs of the tournament–came out on top. The freshmen coaches, some of whom were dressed to the nines in suits to mimic NFL and college coaches, basked in their team’s glory. A post-victory celebration followed, with the coaches and others on the sidelines mobbing the team and having fun.

Wednesday ended with the freshman class celebrating in all sorts of attire on Theofilos Field as everyone else, faculty and students included, watched from the nearby bleachers.

Another successful day of homecoming was in the books. All then slowly made their way home, one way or another, and prepared for another day of exciting costumes to show off and field events to participate in.

The senior powderpuff team runs onto Theofilos Field with senior Emeline Smith waving a Nicki Minaj flag. The senior team would end up falling in the first round to the freshmen.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

The seniors’ section raises to their feet as the performing seniors rush into the bleachers to join them at the conclusion of their routine.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

Junior powderpuff team coach Carter Smith points in the direction of the field as time winds down.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

The sophomore powderpuff team huddles to discuss a game plan right before their first match. Each team consisted of ten girls.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

Freshman Sam Scarola, sophomore Jackson Hamilton, junior Eclaire Solano, and senior Emma Hardyman await the results of Thursday’s Best Dressed. Hardyman was announced the winner shortly after.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

Junior Grace Tighe runs the ball down field as sophomore Zoe Cooper gives chase and fellow teammate Cameryn Grissman looks on. In the end, though, the juniors would end up falling to the sophomores.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

The junior powderpuff team enters the field along with their coaches, who were both dressed in full suits. The junior team, like the seniors, lost in the first round.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

Seniors Matt Postman, Dalton Lyons, and Mason Thomason excite the crowd. (Photo by Charlie Spungin)

A sophomore team powderpuff coach jumps in the air after seeing his team successfully run the ball down field as others look on.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

A group of juniors surround Trakwon Harris, awaiting his introduction to the crowd as #23-- Michael Jordan.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

Senior Ella Hayes protects the ball as she attempt to escape freshman Emily Simon in the senior-freshman powderpuff match. Despite Hayes’ heroics, the freshmen defeated the seniors and went on to win the tournament.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

Freshmen coaches yell out play names and use hand signals to guide their squad from the sidelines.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

Junior Camryn Grissman runs the ball downfield in the junior-sophomore powderpuff match. Her speed and athleticism helped the juniors stay in the match against the sophomores.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

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A group of freshmen lift Ryland Rabil into the air. The freshman would ultimately finish in third place.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

That’s Right: Girls Can Play Football Too Evan Liberman Managing Editor

The sophomores huddle before the powderpuff competition. The teams arrived prior to the crowd to warm up.

(Photo by Evan Liberman)

Copy Editor The final grade-level competition during Homecoming Week was Thursday’s male cheer, as it made a return among the Homecoming Week events.

Male cheer was not an activity during last year’s Homecoming events due to COVID-19 protocols, making it difficult to execute the event. With the amount of close contact within the routines, Student Council Co-Sponsor Mr. Anthony Hoy believed that it would be better not to have the event.

However, with looser protocols and vaccinations making their entrance within the past year, male cheer was able to make its return.

While it was held in the gym in prior years, it was on Theofilos Field this year for two reasons. Firstly, two grade levels are allowed in the gym at one time, and having it in front of the entirety of the school was important to Mr. Hoy. Secondly, bringing events outside decreases the likelihood of COVID-19 spreading.

Before the start of each grade’s routines, the Best Dressed competition took place. Thursday was dubbed Dressing Day. Freshman dressed as French, sophomores as Italian, juniors as Hawaiian, and seniors as Caesar/Togas. Freshman Sam Scarola, sophomore Jackson Hamilton, junior Eclaire Solano, and senior Emma Hardyman represented their respective grades. Ultimately, Hardyman was named the winner by Student Council President Sydney Steinger.

Following this, each grade level began its own unique routines. The freshman, dressed in unmissable pink crop tops and white tutus, finished

third. Next were the sophomores, who finished fourth. They ended on a high note, as they ripped their shirts to reveal “Bucs 2024!”. However, male cheer was a highlight of the upperclassmen. The juniors finished second, wearing basketball jerseys to allude to the junior class theme: Jumpman Juniors. While the flips from Walker Buchanan and Trakwon Harris led the juniors to finish second, they were unable to top the seniors. From the seniors’ arrival on golf carts to their conclusion by running into the stands, they brought the most crowd energy.

Mr. Hoy was pleasantly surprised with the freshman’s performance. In years past, the freshmen usually don’t have a routine. That was not the case this year. He also credited the freshman’s involvement throughout the entirety of the week.

Originally, powderpuff and male cheer were set to both be on Thursday, as Mr. Hoy and Student Council wanted to keep the two together due to their uniqueness. However, with the removal of musical chairs, which was originally on Wednesday, powderpuff was moved to Wednesday.

“Male cheer and powderpuff flip the script with the typical gender roles. We wanted to coordinate them together, but we had to switch it because of timing issues,” Mr. Hoy explained.

After its absence for a year due to a factor that was out of the Student Council’s control, expect male cheer back next during next year’s Homecoming week.

“Male cheer is one of those things that is a tradition that everybody seems to really enjoy and something people want us to carry over from year to year,” Mr. Hoy said.

Senior SWAT members hop off Mr. Jacobsen’s golf cart at the start of their routine.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

The freshman, dressed in their pink uniforms, lift off of their knees, as they move to their next position.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

The junior male cheerleaders do their best imitation of the Dazzlers by forming a kick-line.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

The sophomores ended their cheer by ripping their shirts to reveal “Bucs 2024!” on their chests.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

Sophomore Hudson Byrne awaits the start of the sophomore’s routine in which Bryne starred.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

Senior male cheerleaders work their way towards centerfield as the crowd erupts in excitement. The seniors would go on to win the male cheerleading contest.

(Photo by Charlie Spungin)

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GAME ON Tvisha Goel Co-Editor-in-Chief

After what has felt like an eternity after COVID-19, Benjamin’s traditional Homecoming Week brought fun and intense activities for the entirety of the School to enjoy. The week ended with an eventful football game, with Benjamin students bringing back school spirit like never before.

Last year, spectators were not allowed to be in the stands during games. This year, due to softer COVID-19 restrictions, viewers like senior Jack Regnery was able to finally support his team in the homecoming game. “At my old school, Suncoast High School, the football games were never as hype, and the student section never really came together to cheer on the team like we do at Benjamin. Game night in the stands was electric. It was packed and everyone was there to cheer on the team. It was almost like the 12th man for Benjamin on the field,” Regnery said.

Students and teachers both came out in big numbers this game in support of the football team. The theme for the game was an orange-out, which almost everyone abided by, greatly showing the pride that the School has for the sport and the members of the team.

Aside from spectators feeling a renewed sense of Benjamin pride, both the Benjamin cheer team and the Dazzlers were happy that they were able to perform to a larger audience during the halftime show, since their moves were seen only by a limited number of viewers last year.

Senior and Dazzler co-captain Sophia Liporace said, “It’s definitely

Sophia Liporace Co-Editor-in-Chief The highlights of Homecoming Week are always watching or participating in activities male cheer, powderpuff, or kickball, but the glue that brings the school community together during Spirit Week are the outfits of each theme day.

This year, the Student Council stuck with some traditional theme days like Salad Dressing Day and Decades Day but also introduced new themes like Student Teacher Swap Day that seemed to be a success with the School community.

Student Council representative and junior Ella Thomas explained the process for planning each theme day.

“We came up with around 10 different theme ideas and wanted to be able to have extras in case administration didn’t approve all of them. In the Student Council meetings prior to Homecoming Week, everyone just

shouted out ideas, and we wrote them on the white board. Since some of our top choices didn’t get approved, we used some of the extras and sent out the themes to the School,” said Thomas.

Decades Day kicked off the week on Monday, and students and faculty delivered. Everyone could be seen wearing their favorite 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s gear. Freshmen flaunted their hippie sunglasses and tie-dye t-shirts while seniors showed up in brightly colored tracksuits and butterfly clips.

“I ordered butterfly clips on Amazon and found one of my mom’s old Juicy Couture tracksuits, and I think I definitely pulled off the theme,” said senior Jane Boyland.

On Tuesday, students and faculty went all out for Teacher Student Swap Day. The School’s varsity dance team, the Dazzlers dressed up as one of their coaches, Performing Arts Department Chair Mrs. Sara

Salivar. Teachers like Spanish teacher Sra. Maria Gonzalez-Lopez and English teacher Dr. John Peruggia were also a popular choice.

Junior and Dazzler veteran Kate Grande explained how the team pulled off the perfect Sra. Salivar-themed look.

“All of us bought blue eyeliner and mascara to look like her and ordered rhinestone platform flip flops on Amazon. In the morning on the way to school everyone picked up Big Gulp cups from 7/11 and we wore Dazzler t-shirts and leggings,” she said.

Wednesday, upperclassmen and lowerclassmen were divided into country and country club themed outfits, respectively. Flannels, boots, and cowboy hats were spotted all over campus and freshman and sophomores showed off their preppiest outfits.

Thursday was Salad Dressing Day which was used for the senior

class to carry out the tradition of wearing togas at some point during Homecoming week. Freshmen were French, sophomores were Italian, juniors were thousand island, and seniors were Caesar.

Sophomores such as Grace Havlicek and Ella Womble went all out for their theme, waving Italian flags around school and Seniors like Emma Hardyman, who won best dressed for the day, were excited to carry on the toga tradition.

For the final day of spirit week, students showered their class pride by dressing up as their theme and wearing their class shirts. Famous Freshmen, Surfin’ Sophomores, Jumpman Juniors, and SWAT Seniors each had their own shirts designed by student council members.

Students and faculty can agree that Homecoming Week was a success this year and that student council’s theme days made the week more fun for everyone.

been really satisfying for the team to be able to perform for students, especially for my senior year. Football season is usually the best part of the season, and it makes it much more fun and enjoyable when the students are really excited and we get to see all of our friends. For this halftime, we actually did a dance that we choreographed last year for a football game but was only shown to a limited number of people for pandemic-related reasons.”

Similarly, senior and cheer team co-captain Emeline Smith was shocked by the turnout this year at the homecoming game, which she believes is in part due to a revived cheer team.

“I believe that the revival of the cheer team has had a monumental impact on the level of school spirit this year. When I ran for class president last year, I promised that I would incorporate themes into various sports events. By being a part of the cheer team, I have been able to keep that promise which I really believe has gotten students so much more excited to participate. It was so exciting to perform our halftime show after all of the hard work we have put into learning it the past few weeks. I know that people were surprised by how far our team has come in such a short amount of time,” Smith stated.

In all the support, the team made victory against American Heritage, winning 28-22. Senior Mark Cueto expressed his appreciation for the turnout, which ultimately helped lead to the victory. “It felt great hearing all the love and people cheering for me and my teammates. I could not have asked for a better last Homecoming game.”

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A group of sophomores can be seen climbing up the stairs that lead to the top of the slide.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

H2Oh So Much Fun

Water Day Marks End of Spirit Week Joey Tomassetti Staff Writer The final day of Homecoming Week was Water Day, which allowed the students to have some fun in the sun after a long and eventful week.

Each grade had the privilege of wearing their grade-specific spirit shirts for the day.

Famous Freshmen, Surfin’ Sophomores, Jumpman Juniors, and SWAT Seniors were the class themes for each grade. The choices of class themes were presented by the Student Council and were voted on by the students themselves.

For the final hour of school, students migrated towards the Butterfly Garden to enjoy a selection of activities such as cornhole, water slides, a dunk tank, Spikeball, Kan Jam, and even some football. If students felt like cooling off and unleashing their inner-child, they could spend their time at the water slides and the dunk tank. If students felt like competing with their friends and classmates while also staying dry, they could spend their time playing yard games in the field.

Student Council Co-Sponsor Mr. Anthony Hoy is pleased with how the water day went. He played a large role in setting up Homecoming Week, along with the rest of the student council.

“I thought it went really well. I walked around and thought everyone was having fun. I went into the dunk tank about half-way through so I hope everyone continued to enjoy themselves,” says Mr. Hoy. Sophomore Finlay Allen enjoyed the waterslides and the opportunity to hang out with friends.

“It was relaxing to be able to hang out with friends in school, after school. I enjoyed the water slide because of how fast it was, making it addicting to go down it over and over again,” adds Finlay.

Students of all ages could be seen going down the water slide. Students, and teachers, of all ages could be seen near the dunk tank trying to knock Mr. Carr or Mr. Hoy into the water.

Different from last year, there were more options of activities for students to participate in, and the addition of the waterslide was a huge hit. Similar to last year, the dunk tank remained an interesting event for people to participate in.

Overall, the day gave off a summer-esque vibe all throughout campus. It is safe to say that Water Day and Spirit Week 2021 was a success.

A lot of credit goes to the Student Council for planning all of the events and making the week one for the ages.

Mr. Carr sits anxiously awaiting his next dunking.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

A group of “Jumpman Juniors” gather around a spikeball net, preparing to play a match. The butterfly had various games as well as a slip and slide.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

A group of juniors can be seen in the middle of an intense spikeball game.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

Students from all grades can be seen lining up to go onto the water slide and coming off of it. Many students seemed to enjoy themselves before the official end of the spirit week. The Water Day hyped p many students prior to the eventful homecoming game that night.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

A group of “Surfin’ Sophomores” talk with Mr. Cramer.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

Water Day served as an opportunity for teachers to gather and take a break from the classroom.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

A group of senior girls pose for a “spirit-filled” picture near the waterslides, enjoying the end of a Friday afternoon school day.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

Dr. Haley catches up with students at the end of a relaxing, fun-filled week.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

Friday’s fun activities included two water slides. Students were seen wearing both wet suits or regular shirts and shorts to take part in this wet adventure.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

Sophomore Aiden Dunn lines up a throw at the cornhole area. Both teachers and students of all grades enjoyed the games provided as an alternative to the water slide.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)

Sophomore Colby Mack slides down the water slide, keeping him refreshed in the hot, October afternoon.

(Photo by Joey Tomassetti)