To start school with a bang, MGCI’s Student Activity Council held its first Spirit Week from 19 to 23 Sept. The week consisted of daily themes that students could dress for alongside lunch time activities in the cafeteria. Throughout the week, the Spirit Committee awarded students who dressed for the week with chocolate in the cafeteria.

Spirit Week began with Jersey Day on Monday. Students were encouraged to wear jerseys from their favourite sports teams. As well, to correspond with the sports theme, the Athletic Rally was held in the gym at lunch.

Tuesday was Twin Day, and apple bobbing was offered in the cafeteria. Two students at a time raced each other to see who could bite on a floating apple first. The winner got to keep the apple but all participants were given chocolate bars.

Wednesday was International Day, where students were invited to wear traditional clothing for the UN’s International Day of Peace. A parade around the school was held by SAC’s Social Justice and Equity Convenor, Lisa Wang, to raise awareness of major world issues. A video was also planned to be screened in the cafeteria, but was not played in time due to technical difficulties.

International Day was followed by Comic Day on Thursday. Students wore comic inspired outfits, such as Superman t-shirts. During lunch, games of Musical Chairs were organized. Fifteen students could participate at once and the winners received $10 Tim Hortons gift cards.

The week wrapped up with Black and White Day, during which a Bean Bag Toss competition was held. Participants were given one minute to throw as many bean bags as possible through targets. The winner, with 33 points, won a $10 Tim Hortons gift card.

Spirit Week was mainly promoted through social media. SAC posted on Facebook and their new Snapchat account. They also advertised with announcements and word of mouth in the cafeteria. However, many students lamented that SAC did not promote through more conventional methods, such as posters. An anonymous survey conducted by The Reckoner revealed that, out of 267 surveyed students, 91 did not know about the events offered or were not impressed. A number of students also suggested that SAC should aim to advertise to everyone, not just those on social media. A student also said that a “Spirit Day” might be more successful than a Spirit Week, as a five-day event is too prolonged.

Although a relatively low number of students participated in the Spirit Week themes, many were eager to play the lunch-time games, and pay their $1 participation fee. One student, Srinidhi Potukuchi, said, “I think it was a great way to get everyone involved and it was a great stress reliever.”

Overall, SAC’s Spirit Convenor Czarina Facun thought Spirit Week went well, considering that it was MGCI’s first Spirit Week of the year. She said, “More people participated than expected and the crowd was pretty hyped about the games.” However, she believes that SAC should offer better prizes and smaller playing fees for future events.

SAC has announced that upcoming spirit events include Halloween Week and the Christmas Show.