This year’s spirit week was an event like no other, with students showing off their school spirit from home. Although no one could imagine the days leading up to Homecoming to look this way, the East student body has shown that nothing can stop school spirit!
In an interview with Dr. Fagan, he says, “Our goal in the virtual spirit week was to safely provide some semblance of that experience and give our students something positive to anticipate and it’s done by our Student Council, which is an added bonus. I am a big supporter of effective student voice and leadership.”
The Student Council created themed days for spirit week so students could participate virtually on their Zoom classes, as well as at sports or club meetings! Student Council President Megan Merten explains, “We encouraged students to send in photos of their outfits to our Instagram account so we can share them on our story to spread school spirit.” Students were able to show off their pride and see their classmates on @wcestuco’s Instagram stories, from their Tropical Day outfits to their Philly Sports gear!
“There’s a lot that goes into a great homecoming week,” Dr. Fagan says. “I think my favorite part is usually the sense of school spirit you get seeing everyone interact. School spirit is one of the defining attributes of our school. And we experienced some of that even in the virtual setting.”
One tradition that stayed was the Homecoming game, and students were able to watch the game against Henderson live from their homes. West Chester East won 28-7, ending our virtual spirit week on a celebratory note. Seniors were also able to nominate a Homecoming court, and on Friday night, Niko Levin and Hannah Myers took home the homecoming crown!
“We hope that Virtual Spirit Week helped keep students engaged in the East community and lift everyone’s spirits,” says Megan. “And that it helped students maintain some semblance of normalcy during these unprecedented times.”
For Seniors, virtual spirit week recreated the festivities they longed for since the start of high school. Colin Barch reflects, “Spirit week has been one of my favorite traditions at East, and this year was no exception. Getting to see everyone’s outfits online was so exciting. It really created that sense of unity we’d have if we were together in school.”
Lizzie Guan comments, "In a normal year, spirit week was fun, exciting, and a testament to everyone's creativity. It united our school under the purpose of creating school spirit. But even though our normal has changed, I think the student council did a great job making our new "normal" an unforgettable one. I had a great time seeing everyone's Tropical virtual backgrounds and their senior jeans. Spirit week was a blast!"
Even though Spirit Week and Homecoming did not start out like anyone would have expected, East High School is nothing but resilient in these hard times. “Replacing the social events at any school is one of the most daunting elements of the virtual model.” Dr. Fagan says. “For so many students, the social element is their favorite part of school. I fully understand how much students miss seeing each other and being together to celebrate.” But despite the barriers, virtual spirit week was a great way for students to feel closer to each other and the school!
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