Friday, October 27, 2017

Spirit Week at NCHS - 2017

2017.10.27


Spirit Week at NCHS


“Outtakes”. A snippet of thoughts to kick off this blog post:
Our students are amazing. They can have a fun time, but know they come to NCHS to learn.


What I am looking forward to putting into practice, or continuing:
Keep the positive school spirit alive.


Quote(s) that resonated with me this week:
“Can our school be so welcoming, so inviting, and so comfortable that every person who walks through our doors believes they are about to have an amazing experience?” ~ Fisher, Frey

A few words that are synonymous with “Spirit”: Character, courage, energy, enthusiasm, essence, heart, humor, life, mood, morale, quality, warmth, animation. I can honestly say that I have seen each of these on display in one form or another this week at NCHS. The most common phrase that I heard leading up to this week was, “just wait until Spirit Week…”. And now, I know why. It is an event-filled week that is like no other!


The comfortable atmosphere on Pajama Day reminds me that while many of these high school students are “adult-size”, many truly are still kids (as they should be). There is nothing quite like seeing several unicorn onesies or 6-foot+ males wearing footie pjs. Some may say that takes courage. High Society day reminded me that the students of NCHS are sophisticated and appreciate fine quality. It also seemed reminiscent of a time when people dressed up for most occasions. Costume day was filled with cheerleaders, minions, animated characters, and superheroes that span generations (i.e., Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and my favorite, Captain America). Turn Back the Clock Day was a trip seeing leather jackets and pink dresses from the 50s, colorful, paisley filled dresses and shirts from the 60s, bell-bottoms and long dresses from the 70s, and my absolute favorite, the fluorescent/neon colors from the 80s. It was like being back in grade/middle school myself.


If I can capture Spirit Week in about a couple of paragraphs, I believe it would go something like this… Every day started with energy and enthusiasm, excited about the theme-filled day ahead. Lunch waves were similar to photo shoots. Groups of students gathering to capture the essence of the moment and pose for some fun photos with friends. I heard on several occasions that “my camera roll is full”. Amazing…  (real-life flashback: imagine they had to experience cameras with 24-shot rolls of film that you had to wait a week or two to have developed to see how they turned out!). In between classes, there was an energy that carried a positive morale and definitely a good level of humor (for students, and staff).


Most importantly, and definitely not lost in the spirited mood, was the learning that continued once each class began. This is a tribute to the students and staff here at NCHS. They can have a great time and enjoy fun events, but they also realize they are here to learn and receive a quality education. I saw presentations being given by students looking like they would have fit into a Richard Simmons Jazzercize video, labs being conducted by groups of minions, assessments being taken by students who would fit into any Woodstock video, food being prepared by students who could have been cast on Happy Days, a full orchestra play amazing music dressed with angel wings and/or donning NFL and NBA jerseys, and a live, behind the scenes, professional grade, NCTV broadcast with every student proudly wearing their Ram Black & Red. I could not be more proud to be part of such a well-rounded learning environment! Thank you NCHS...   

Please feel free to contact or follow me:
Twitter: @DavidGusitsch
Email: david.gusitsch@ncps-k12.org













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