![Junior Diya Arun stares out a window. For Arun, the winter season brings out the holiday blues. “ I think [the winter] has a negative effect on my mental health because I feel like the cold weather and people around me are also sadder [and] that affects me,” Arun said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IMG_8047-1200x800.jpg)
![The Phoenix varsity volleyball team lines up for the national anthem. “We were more communicative [with each other] during this game, and I feel like we kept our energy up, especially after the first set,” senior Jessica Valdov said.](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/DSC_0202-1200x800.jpg)
Students Slide into Winter Break With Holiday Outfits
During the week of Dec. 12-16, SCA held a spirit week that ended with a pep rally to get students into the mood for winter break and the holiday season.
Economics teacher Peter Kim gets pied in the face by senior Akarsh Kontham, after gaining the most money from the hot chocolate sale.
January 17, 2023
Giving a festive feel to the last week of school before winter break, SCA hosted their winter spirit week Dec. 12-16. Students looked forward to the week of dressing up because it made school more fun. For senior Jenna Whaley, spirit week “[made] school go by faster.”
Spirit week started off with Merry Monday Morning, where students dressed in festive pajamas. Many students enjoyed the pajama day, since it is comfortable and easy to do. “I saw a lot of teachers and people that usually dress up fancy, wear pajamas,” freshman Angel Labosette said.
People wore their favorite artist’s merch, or dressed up as their favorite artist, for Tuesday’s Spotify Wrapped theme. On Wednesday, students got to wear their craziest hats and socks. On Thursday, the planned Slay vs. Sleigh spirit day turned into a snow day, canceling school. Finally, Friday was Festive Fits, featuring ugly sweaters, Santa hats, and fuzzy socks to show the holiday spirit.
Junior Nicole Smith felt that everyone can have a lot of fun during spirit weeks. “I really like that everyone can try to express themselves differently and how everyone wears something completely different,” Smith said.
The spirit week ended on Friday with a pep rally, hyping students up for winter break. At the pep rally, SCA announced that the juniors won spirit week with 16 points, seniors were second place with 13 points, sophomores third place with 8 points and freshman last place with 7 points. The pep rally featured games like a STEM vs. humanities teachers dodgeball game, chicken toss that the seniors won, and economics teacher Peter Kim getting pied in the face.
![On Friday, Dec. 19, seniors filled the library for the winter senior breakfast event, put together with the help of administrators and parent volunteers. Excitement and joy filled the atmosphere as the Class of 2025 filed into the school library to celebrate their four years of accomplishment as students.
The menu for this breakfast was an assortment of sweet treats: donuts, apple and orange juice, coffee, hot chocolate, and gingerbread cookies. Students were able to decorate their own gingerbread cookies with a variety of different icing and sprinkles to choose from. The tables were decorated with blue tablecloths to celebrate the winter season. Plates and napkins also followed the holiday theme.
Senior Blessing Amuga attended the event for her friends and the food. “This time [the breakfast was better because] there were many activities,” Amuga said.
In the midst of the festivities, students were provided with the opportunity to vote on one of four designs on the front and two designs on the back for their senior class shirt design. They are able to submit their designs by Dec. 18 for a chance to be selected as the winning design.
✏️ and 📷 by Ryan Desiderio, Rachel Bhardwaj, Sitwat Mian](https://theblazerrhs.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)