Spirit Week at Athens has followed a familiar pattern for years, but the week of Feb. 3 to 7 brought a fresh take as the student government added more creative and engaging themes. 

“I feel like instead of repeating the same spirit week over time I feel like this time they have expanded on all the options and it’s much more different,” said Serena Gaddam, a junior at Athens. “For the past three years, they have been the same every time but this time they added new stuff and made school more fun. I feel like it kept a step up to challenge the students to see how spirited they are.”

The school kicked off spirit week with ‘Pajama Day’. Many students showed up and participated. The students and staff also noticed the creative turn

“I definitely feel like there was more creativity this year, so I was happy to get some variety,” said Heaven Tyndall, Earth Science teacher at Athens. 

Tyndall participated in a group for ‘Rhyme Without a Reason’, which included Michaela Connors, Lauren Latta, and Tyler Latta. They all chose the idea of a butterfly, tie-dye, bullseye, and sound guy. One of the most highly anticipated days of the week was ‘Anything but a Backpack Day’. Students and staff were excited to see what kinds of things people would bring.

“I think the days of themes are cool this year. Personally, I’m really excited to bring ‘Anything But a Backpack Day’ cause I’m really curious what people would bring,” said Valerie Guenther, sophomore at Athens. 

The students brought items like a wheelbarrow, ice cooler, tuba case, and animal cages. Guenther also indicated that spirit weeks bring students together and show off Athens’ pride, as they can also express their love for Athens.  

“I think it’s really fun and they were much more enjoyable than past spirit weeks for sure. So far I really rhyme without a reason,” said Annabella Conklin, freshman at Athens. 

As much as everyone was excited to see what students would bring for ‘Anything But a Backpack’, it also drove some people crazy to carry their school supplies in various items. 

“My favorite was ‘Anything but a Backpack.’ I loved the creativity that some kids have!  I saw a wheelbarrow, suitcase, water cooler, Lowe’s Home Improvement bucket, and more!  Got a lot of giggles on that day!” said Remaley. 

The creative shift in the themes was led by the Student Government, which played a key role in organizing and selecting ideas, as they polled students and teachers to get ideas and then voted on ideas. 

“I think we has some really ‘outside the box’ spirit days for Coming Home Week. Rhyme without reason! Teachers vs Students! Even Pajama Day became a thing!” said Christopher Remaley, a Stu-co advisor at Athens.