Grace Schoenstein ’26
As the fall sports season draws to a close, Spirit Week is finally here. This week is marked with themed dress-down days, lunchtime activities, and, of course, sports. The festivities conclude with an all-school pep rally in anticipation of EA/Haverford/AIS weekend, and on Friday and Saturday, students watch the games. Coming in the midst of the rigorous academic year, it’s a way for both students and faculty to wind down and truly enjoy themselves.
The festivities started with “Are You Smarter than a Middle Schooler?” a trivia competition between students from grades 6 through 12. When asked about the activities, Lius Vasiliadis ’27 states, “I like trivia, especially [when it’s] geography-related.” He, like others, will try to defend his grade’s honor. After trivia, there are other fun inter-class activities. Among others, the student council will be hosting Family Feud, tug-of-war, and dodgeball. Student Council President Matt Limaye ’25 states, “It’s always a great time for the community to come together.” The fun wouldn’t be complete without some competition, however. Each grade’s performance during the events gains them varying amounts of points, with the overall winner getting a free dress-down day.
To add to the fun, every day has its own unique dress-down theme. On Monday, students adhere to a theme of ‘salad dressing,’ Tuesday, their grade’s lounge theme, and Wednesday, a specific decade. On Thursday, students wear special dress for Veterans Day Chapel and the week concludes with a blue and white dress-down day to celebrate Episcopal.
The week consists of two all-school events: a bonfire on Monday evening and the highly-anticipated pep rally on Friday. The rally, which is one of the most anticipated events of the week, concludes the academic day and commences the sports competitions. During the pep rally, which the entire school attends, athletes from each of the respective teams run out into the gymnasium. There’s also a class dance competition and a video featuring skits from each of the sports teams. “I like the video,” says Vasiliadis. “It brings the school together.”
Photo courtesy of The New York Times
All of the week’s events bring up excitement levels and reemphasize the strong community at EA. Limaye adds that it’s a “great time for everyone to put their all into one goal.” During the weekend, the itinerary consists of sports competitions between the three schools in order to win the coveted sweater and banner, passed down year after year to the weekend’s winner. The Churchwomen compete against AIS in soccer, field hockey, tennis, and cross country, and the Churchmen compete against Haverford in soccer, football, golf, cross country, and water polo. Field hockey player Rebecca Block ’26 says “There’s so much passion when we play AIS because you want to win it for yourself, but also the school.” Not only are athletes able to participate in the weekend with passion and dedication, but so is the entire EA community including students, faculty, and parents who all add to the spirit of the games. Annie Zebro ’26, while she may not be playing in any sports competitions, said, “I’m just really excited to dress up with my friends and make some memories.”
Even for those not participating in athletic competitions, the weekend offers a chance to connect with friends, celebrate school pride, and create lasting memories. And this year, with EA hosting competitions, the sense of EA pride is stronger than ever.