By the time the last students piled out of Saturday’s annual Homecoming dance, a busy week had come to a close at Old Rochester Regional High School.
This week marked “Spirit Week” at the high school, and it was slightly shortened due to Monday’s Columbus Day holiday.
On Tuesday, October 14, it was just as common to see students in footie pajamas as blue jeans, as the perennially popular “Pajama Day” took place.
Wednesday marked Hawaiian Day, meaning plenty of students – and teachers – could be spotted in colorful flowered shirts and leis.
Twin Day was Thursday, which seemed to be one of the most popular days of the week. Students are encouraged to dress like each other, and the pairings always lead to some hilarious moments in the hallways and the lunchroom. On all three of these days, students were offered the chance to be photographed in their Spirit Day attire during lunchtime.
The spirit days came to a close on Friday, which was “Show Your School Spirit” day. Students either wore traditional ORR colors – red, white, and black – or their costumes for their class skit, if they were participating.
This was a great day for students to get involved, since almost everyone owns a piece of clothing donning the school’s colors.
Senior Kyle Sherman praised Spirit Week, saying, “It does what it’s supposed to, and raises a lot of spirit for the school. My favorite day is Friday, the official School Spirit day, because so many people participate, and everyone’s pumped up about the skits.”
Sherman also suggested a potential spirit day idea for next year in which all fall sports teams wear their uniforms to school.
“That would be a good idea,” said Sherman. “My best memories for each year are always Spirit Week. It really is a great week for the school.”
On Friday afternoon, the Fall Pep Rally took place in the gym. Definitely a large boost to school spirit, students sat grouped by grade and watched as the skits were performed.
The freshman paid homage to the Will Ferrell movie Elf, the sophomores drew inspiration from The Chronicles of Narnia; the juniors performed an Alice in Wonderland themed skit; and the seniors referenced a few different Disney movies, mainly focusing on Monsters, Inc. Although all the skits were entertaining, a winner had to be chosen.
Later that night, as students returned to school grounds to cheer on the football team in the anticipated Homecoming game against the Wareham Vikings, Fun 107 DJ Michael Rock announced the winner. For this year’s skits, the seniors came out on top, while the freshmen took the runner-up prize.
Maybe next year, the honors will go to the sophomores and juniors.
Concerning the game, Kyra Greco, a junior and member of the ORR Dance Team, said the football game is her favorite part of Homecoming week.
“The fans are crazy, and a lot of alumni come back,” she said. “It’s even better when we win.”
The dance capped off a big week of festivities on Saturday night. The event ran from 7:00 to 10:00 pm, and the theme was “A Night in Paris.” The DJ for the dance was Michael Bowman. Judging by the large turnout and the positive reception, the event was definitely a success.
In other news, the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) for sophomores and juniors was held on Wednesday, October 15.
The test plays an important role in preparing students for their college careers, and often begins the process of colleges sending letters and emails to students who could be potentially interested.
The testing began first thing in the morning, and lasted until 10:50 am. This marked the first year in which the test was mandatory. In previous years, it was an optional exam for both sophomores and juniors. Due to this change, the test moved from a Saturday to a Wednesday this year to accommodate all the extra students taking the exam.
Sophomores Chris Horton and Jonathan Harris shared their opinions on the testing. Both agreed that mandatory testing is a good idea, as it helps students prepare for the SATs.
“Since it’s sent out to colleges, it definitely helps kids out in the long run,” said Horton.
Harris said he thought the PSATs falling on the same week as Homecoming added some complication to the week.
“It was a little bit stressful, especially with skit practice,” Harris said. Stress aside, both Harris and Horton had a positive thing to say about the test. For Harris, it was the lack of a lengthy essay portion.
“I like how there’s no writing element, and it’s all multiple choice,” said Harris.
Horton was relieved that the test was easier than an exam many students take in 8th grade, the SSATs. “It was difficult, but it was definitely easier than the SSAT test, which I liked.”
By Patrick Briand
