by Sungwook Yang (’26) and Anika Bastin (’23) | March 31, 2023
In late March, Saint Francis hosted its first annual Holy Cross Spirit Week, intended to ground the school’s spirit in Holy Cross values. Over the course of the week, Lancers embarked on a road trip to visit Saint Francis’s sister schools in the Holy Cross family.
Lancers first stopped at New Orleans, with the theme of “Mardi Gras” to visit Holy Cross New Orleans. Students dressed in the colors purple, green, and gold and wore Mardi Gras beads to celebrate. Additionally, clubs had the opportunity to decorate doors in the 200 building and the Innovation Center to commemorate Saint André Bessette, a doorkeeper who welcomed individuals to a Holy Cross secondary school in Montreal. By decorating doors, students hoped to emulate his kindness.
On Tuesday, Saint Francis stopped in Texas to visit Holy Cross San Antonio and San Juan Diego, with students dressing in the theme “Southwestern Stylin.” To celebrate the BRIC values, which compose our school’s yearly themes, and invoking a pun, students built cross and anchor designs with Legos during lunch. Indeed, Saint Francis was proud to celebrate that the BRIC acronym—standing for Bring Hope, Respect, Integrity, and Celebrating Family—was actually coined at Saint Francis by Ms. Meighan Wilson Friedsam and is now celebrated by our sister schools!
On Wednesday, students visited the glamorous Southern California city of Los Angeles. Students came to school dressed as their favorite Hollywood celebrities in honor of Notre Dame High School located in Sherman Oaks. Students posed in front of the Gathering Stairs on Oscars red carpet-style photo booth with a Lancer backdrop. Additionally, students were delighted to watch their peers perform in “Saint Francis Got Talent” in the Innovation Center Theater, with students performing singing and dancing skills. Performer Raghav Ravinuthala (’24), who rapped “Alright” by Kendrick Lamar, emphasized his gratitude for the student body that was watching: “I just felt so much energy on that stage. The crowd was extremely supportive….I felt accepted when everyone cheered for me and hyped me up.”
On Thursday, Saint Francis returned to the Bay Area to visit Moreau Catholic High School, located nearby in Hayward. With the day themed “Battle of the Bay,” students dressed in their favorite Bay Area sports team jerseys, including the 49ers, SF Giants, and Golden State Warriors. Participating in the Campus Ministry’s Lenten “Food Fight” to collect food items to fight local food insecurity, students engaged in a lunchtime dodgeball fight with food plushies.
On Friday, Lancers returned to Saint Francis, celebrating with a rally themed around “Coming Home.” Freshman and Senior Student Council ended the week of celebration with a fun movie night, with the classes uniting to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. Additionally, students enjoyed snacks and games like a larger version of Jenga and spikeball.
This spirit week inspired not only the student body, but also educators and student organizers of the week’s events. Associated Student Body member Esther Yang (’23) stated, “It was truly meaningful to celebrate our last event as this year’s ASB by going beyond our school community to spotlight our sister schools in the Holy Cross family that we may not always be aware of.”
ASB moderator Ms. Grace Savinovich, inspired by the hard work of student organizers, added, “I’m incredibly proud of how ASB brought the theme to light. The daily dress-up themes and lunchtime activities all were directed back to celebrating the Holy Cross family. We definitely say new standards and traditions are being formed, which I hope to see in future years!”
Inspired by the week’s community-building, students and educators alike can continue to look forward to celebrations of school spirit rooted in Holy Cross values.
