by Ava Malae (’24) | May 10, 2021

Saint Francis High School hosted its first in-person Spring Spirit Week through the week of April 19, 2021—the first week all students could return full-time to in-person learning since March 2020. ASB member Nick Weitzel (’21) stated, “Since we hadn’t had any in-person events, being at school in-person during a Spirit Week was super cool.”

Each day had a specific theme and lunchtime activity, organized by ASB. Monday’s theme was 80’s in Aspen and retro clothing, with snow cones offered at lunch. Tuesday was Air Jordans and Jersey Day, and students could play cornhole and spikeball at lunch in the Quad. On Thursday, Earth Day, students donned animal print and received seedlings from the Environmental Club. Friday was Beach Day, with an intense hot wing-eating contest at lunch. “Spirit Week is especially important this year because we’ve been isolated from group events for so long. Seeing a community participate in something together, even just in themed clothing and a hot wing eating contest, reminds us of the joy that comes with people doing things in solidarity,” stated ASB representative Valentina Paredes (’21). 

As part of Spirit Week celebrations, Saint Francis hosted “Cirque du Saint Francis,” on Wednesday, April 21, the first in-person rally since last school year. Mr. Zachary Herhold, Rally Board moderator, said that the rally was a reminder of Saint Francis’ school pride and community. He noted, “I think because the pandemic has limited our ability to host events like this and since people have also been preoccupied with other things our community kind of forgot the importance of shared events like this.”

For the rally, each grade dressed in a different color associated with the four elements of nature. Freshmen wore blue for water, sophomores wore white for air, juniors wore green for earth, and seniors wore red for fire. Several groups and clubs performed at the rally, including Guacapella, Glee Club, Spirit Squad, Fanaa, Shakespeare’s Dropouts, the gymnastics team, and Drumline. Mr. Herhold says that for some of these groups, Cirque du Saint Francis was their first live performance in over a year. 

Just as the rally seemed to have come to an end, the 12th Man Crew took the stage, reminding students of the highly anticipated football game against Bellarmine that Saturday (Saint Francis won 38-20), leading them in exuberant cheers. “I think hosting events like this periodically reminds students that they are a part of a really vibrant and lively community here at Saint Francis,” Mr. Herhold said. 

Cirque du Saint Francis culminated with the traditional singing of the Alma Mater, showing that although the COVID-19 pandemic has presented innumerable challenges, the Saint Francis community remains strong. Mr. Herhold said, “I genuinely believe that last Wednesday’s event reminded a lot of people in our community that the spirit and tradition of Saint Francis High School are alive and well!”