Daniel Adibi ’26 | Grace Holland ’25
As EA/Haverford/AIS day has already passed, we have experienced yet another spirit week filled with anticipation, liveliness and competitive spirit like no other. With the conclusion of EA/Haverford/AIS Weekend this year, we wanted to hear the perspectives of our historic rivals to gain an insight into their traditions and community spirit surrounding this event.
Several Agnes Irwin and Haverford students share their experiences to shed light on the traditions and values of “rival” schools and their similarities to EA. Similar to EA’s Spirit Week, AIS students also participate in multiple activities leading up to the competition. Molly Chorin ’24 says, “Leading up to AIS/EA day, we have a spirit week where we dress up for the 4 days leading up to the day and a pep rally the night before to get everyone hyped up.” Although both EA and AIS have themed dress-down days, both schools have several favorite traditions taking place on the actual competition day, such as the Pep Rally at EA, during which the entertaining class dances occur. AIS also has a similar tradition; as Catie Holmes ’25 says, “My favorite thing is that each team that competes in AIS/EA day, [both] Varsity and JV, make dances … we all dance at the pep rally and then decide the top 3 to dance on the actual day.”
Not only do both schools have exciting dance competitions, but AIS also has a senior-led pep rally just like EA. As Molly Chorin ’24 says, “The day of we have an assembly with the whole school and the seniors lead the cheers to get everyone hyped up.” Athletes at EA can relate to the excitement in the locker room before games, especially before playing Haverford or Agnes Irwin. While we prepare in our locker rooms, the Agnes Irwin students do as well. When reflecting on her favorite parts of AIS/EA day, Catie Holmes ’25 says, “Our whole team eats lunch and gets hype in the locker room before our game which is probably my [favorite] moment!”
For both teams, the bonding and excitement that surrounds the weekend is a central part of the competition. EA athletes have team dinners and shirt-decorating parties, and AIS athletes participate in similar traditions. Catie Holmes ’25 comments on their team meals, saying, “We do a pancake breakfast on the day and pasta dinner the night before which is fun.” Although EA and AIS are on opposite sides of the competition, their preparation and school spirit leading up to the competition reflect the many similarities between both Spirit Weeks.
Photo courtesy of Gracie O’Neill ’24
Haverford students Ian Rosenzweig ’25 and Grant Oliver ’26 ruminate on their traditions surrounding EA/Haverford. Haverford has very similar events leading up to the day and also holds a Spirit Week resembling EA’s. Rosenzweig discusses some of Haverford’s traditions, saying, “The week leading up to EA Day is Spirit Week at Haverford. We have themed dress-down days and competitions between each grade and the faculty, including trivia, dodgeball, and a karaoke contest.” Besides the student and faculty competitions, Haverford also has a similar system in which they award points to different grades for their spirit in respective competitions. As Oliver states, “We have ‘events’ that kids from all the [high school] grades can sign up for. [Some] examples are field goal kicking, water polo shooting, chess, Mario Kart, ping pong, rock-paper-scissors, dodgeball, trivia, tug-of-war, and a 4×200 run. Each competition awards points to the respective [grade] depending on how well they did, and the winning grade gets [an extra] dress-down day.”
Haverford also hosts a large fundraising event during Spirit Week, similar to the EA Can Drive. Rosenzweig comments, “The week also serves as the kick-off for our Can Drive during which the entire school collects canned goods for our partners like Project HOME and SHARE Food Distribution Center.” In addition to hosting a Spirit Week, Haverford also holds a Pep Rally and an entire day of competitions on the Friday of EA/Haverford weekend.
Discussing the day itself, Rosenzweig comments on the support and participation of the student body, saying, “The student body definitely shows out to support our teams. Our student sections were full for all of the events … The majority of our upper school students probably attended at least part of the day. We also get a lot of support from our younger students. Even the Pre-Kindergarteners come in spirit gear.”
Similar to at EA, the day fosters a sense of community and provides an opportunity for students across different grade levels to come together and support a common goal. The sense of excitement, suspense, and community spans across both schools. As Oliver states, “[Haverford] leaves coordination completely to the boys, so we have a whole school group chat [for students to give] info to everyone. The actual student sections at games are electric with high energy—we [even] have kids DJ-ing music to keep the vibe up.”
Overall, the traditions at Haverford serve the same purpose as those at EA—to give a goal that all students can come together to achieve. It serves as a valuable bonding experience for all and a way to demonstrate support for peers. As Oliver says, “Our own traditions [give us] a sense of community and brotherhood that help us feel more inclined to support our boys at any chance.”
While students’ end goal over the weekend is to bring home the banner and hoist the sweater, it is important to note that EA/Haverford/AIS day serves as an opportunity to bring communities together across all three schools. As EA student Caroline Powell ’25 says, “It’s easy to get caught up in the chaos and extreme competition of spirit week, so it’s interesting to learn about the traditions of other schools,” which shows the importance of reflection and stepping back during the chaos and height of emotions. An insight into these various traditions is an important perspective that reflects how tradition is the baseline that perpetuates EA/Haverford/AIS weekend every year.