The first week of school always brings the best energy of the year. There’s an undeniable excitement and enthusiasm in the air as we step into a fresh academic year, filled with possibility. It’s a time for meeting new and returning staff, watching students reconnect with peers, and seeing friendships form. There’s also the trepidation of new courses and the challenges of advancing to a new grade, but this is all part of the good energy that helps build resilience and character in our students.

We used multiple days of homeroom to foster a locker culture, allowing students time to get comfortable in their new spaces and make final adjustments to their course schedules. These sessions also provided opportunities to distribute lockers and review our updated Student Code of Conduct, along with our new Personal Digital Device Policy. Throughout the week, we also gathered students in various homerooms and events to boost school spirit.

In the spirit of unity and fun, every student was assigned to a color team. With time built into the early days of starting new classes, teams created their own unique cheers, dances, and posters and planned to participate in obstacle races, spirited contests like the chariot race, hotdog eating contest, and the hilarious lemon-eating challenge. School Spirit Week culminated in a day filled with energy, joy, and a fantastic display of teamwork.

The first week of school was a true celebration of our community, and I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all the staff for your energy and effort in making it such a memorable event for the students. Whether you were in the gym, enthusiastically sporting a clever team outfit, offering a quiet space for students who needed a break, your support meant the world. A special shout-out goes to Joe and the student council for organizing both the pancake breakfast and this incredible week of activities. 

As we celebrate our school spirit we also celebrate and share our gratitude to our parent breakfast volunteers who helped us open the school year by opening Marissa’s kitchen on the first day of school.  A huge thank you to our breakfast program for supporting the student council in kicking off the week with a delicious pancake breakfast! It was a fantastic way to set the tone for what became an unforgettable School Spirit Week.

We look forward to many more days together, making lasting memories that will help shape the high school experience for our students. 

Happy “new year” to our learners, parents and caregivers and our staff.  I wish you a brimming with new opportunities, meaningful connections, and a whole lot of school spirit!"

MsM