Kicking off the School Year With Spirit Week

From Sept. 5 to 8, students of all grades participated in the first spirit week of the year. From Adam Sandler Day to Barbie Day, spirit week saw strong participation from all classes and concluded with a Tropical Out pep rally.

Shivu Sathe

Junior Ruth Gemechu guides her blindfolded partner, junior Kailyn Fetterman, as they try to stack cups.

Ananya Karthik, Shivu Sathe, Maya Coleman, Rachel Adams, and Shaila Patel • September 11, 2023

Tuesday – Adam Sandler Day

The first spirit day of the year kicked off with Adam Sandler Day. Students dressed up in oversized shirts and shorts and wore hats that resembled the style of the actor. “[Spirit week] is fun; it’s probably going to be my last chance to [participate] before college applications,” senior Manasvi Sharma said. “This year is going to be a lot of work — especially the first semester — so it’s just something fun [to do].”

SCA hosted lunch games where students from each grade level competed to win spirit points for their class during lunch. The lunch game on Tuesday was Musical Chairs.

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Wednesday – Barbie Day

Bejeweled boots, glittery dresses, and pink tops filled the hallways as students dressed up in their best Barbie outfits. Barbie Day brought out creativity in students and staff alike in preparation for the football game on Friday. “I decided to dress up today because I like pink, and because I like wearing dresses,” junior Keya Kocherla said. “I’m planning to dress up [for the rest of the week, too]. I also think I’m going to the football game and the tailgate.” On Tuesday, during the lunch game, students fought for spirit points by playing trivia, which was a mix of general knowledge questions and Barbie questions.

Thursday – Squad Day

Reminiscent of “Twin Day,” Squad Day was an opportunity to grab friends and match outfits in groups of two or more. Students had a blast taking pictures with their friends in their matching outfits. The lunch game on Thursday was blindfolded cup-stacking. The staff also participated in this spirit day, with the English staff all wearing blue, the admin team wearing M&M T-shirts, and the history department dressing in “Crayola” shirts.

Friday – Tropical Out

Students dressed in colorful leis and tropical Hawaiian shirts, to end the week strongly and to cheer on the football team at the home game against Strasburg High School. The lunch game on Friday was “Finish the Lyric,” where students competed to win spirit points for their class by finishing song lyrics from artists such as Taylor Swift, Drake, and Pitbull. To conclude the week, SCA hosted the first pep rally of the year, where teachers competed in a friendly game of musical chairs, and each class tried to win the Spirit Stick by cheering the hardest. Chemistry teacher Kyle Hayne won musical chairs, and the seniors won the Spirit Stick.

About the Contributors

Ananya Karthik, Editor-in-Chief

Ananya Karthik, a senior this year, serves as the Editor-in-Chief of The Blaze. Since moving from Cincinnati, Ohio in 2021 and joining The Blaze her sophomore year, Ananya has had the opportunity to express her passion for writing. Her other extracurricular activities include being the president of the National Honor Society and Rho Kappa. Over the summer, Ananya had an internship with the Loudoun Times-Mirror, where she published numerous stories and was able to collaborate with a talented group of people who helped grow her skill in writing. Outside of school, Ananya spends her free time scrolling through social media, reading books, fangirling about Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, and still managing to perfect her college applications. Ananya dreams of pursuing journalism in university and beyond as her future career.

Shivu Sathe, Lead Copy Editor

Shivu Sathe is a senior who has been in journalism for the past three years. She is the Lead Copy Editor and loves writing and sharing her work with the world. Shivu loves reading and writing about politics, and some of her goals for her last year in journalism are to write articles about politics and cover some topics she hasn’t covered before, such as football, soccer, and lacrosse. While Shivu can’t ice skate, she likes to spend her time watching ice hockey and is a Hurricanes fan. She enjoys movies, reading, and listening to music.

Maya Coleman, Social Media Coordinator

Maya Coleman is a senior and this is her third year on The Blaze. Maya is the Business Manager and Social Media Coordinator and she is excited for the stories The Blaze will put out this year, as well as the social media content that will accompany them. She believes that tools like Instagram play a large role in attracting newcomers into the newspaper. What brought her to newspaper was a deep interest for writing and a love for journalism that happened during her sophomore year, and she enjoys covering school-wide events. Aside from The Blaze, Maya is also a part of Rock Ridge Sings. Outside of school Maya enjoys reading and occasionally watching Netflix.

Rachel Adams, Website Coordinator

Rachel Adams is a senior. This is her third year on staff, and she is one of the Website Coordinators. She is part of the girls tennis team and the theater program. Her favorite hobbies include baking, hiking, crocheting, and reading. Her favorite books are murder mysteries, but she loves all genres. When she graduates high school, she hopes to get into aviation, specifically piloting commercial planes. She has only been on a plane twice, but she knew this was something she wanted to do for a career almost right away. Rachel is excited to see what the future holds, in both college and beyond.

Shaila Patel, Website Coordinator

Shaila Patel is a senior in her second year on the newspaper staff, fueled by her strong sense of curiosity. Since a young age, Patel has been aiding people close to her. Whether it be through PEER or through daily actions, she is passionate about helping strangers, close friends, and family who are struggling in any way, but especially with any mental health concerns. Caring is a big part of who she is. Patel is also an avid dancer. She believes that dance is a form of art, especially the Indian classical dance she practices, Bharatanatyam. Patel sees it as a useful tool for many to convey stories, culture, who people are, and more.

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Kicking off the School Year With Spirit Week

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