Friday marked something special here at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School, and you wouldn’t have to be terribly observant to notice that this was a school day that had a different “look” to it.
A yearly tradition, Spirit Day is the culmination of Spirit Week, that patch of time near the beginning of the school year where all those kooky, crazy, zany antics of folks, students and staff alike, are somewhat more commonplace than normal. Bad hair day? You’ll fit right in. Having trouble bringing the wardrobe together in anything resembling the same family of colours? Why, you’ll blend right in.
Simply put, it’s a celebration of silly, that at times can difficult and challenging to describe, as if words are needed to capture its essence. Whatever my shortcomings may be in the way of articulating this event, I can tell you one thing:
It sure looks like fun.
The day began with the House Colours Cheer, where groups of students and staff, brought together through common colours, compete with each other in the attempt to craft the most dynamic and impressive cheer as a demonstration of their school spirit. I’m personally grateful that I didn’t have the responsibility of choosing among the various groups, as it would be extraordinarily difficult to do so, given the complete and unfettered enthusiasm made obvious by each and every colour grouping.
From the group cheer, participants then travelled through a round of competitive games designed to bring out the frivolity of the day, and intent on encouraging team-building and cooperation among members, all the while attempting to pile up points at the expense of those unfortunate few happening to wear the colours of the opposition.
The Terry Fox Run made up the next segment of the day, with students walking, and/or running a course that included Renfrew’s beautiful Millennium Trail. September, of course, is a time where we remember the tremendous contribution made by Terry Fox some 30 years ago in raising the awareness of the public towards the common scourge of cancer. Fox’s Marathon of Hope Lives on today in walks and runs across the country, and around the world, raising money that goes towards enhancing treatments and finding a cure to this affliction that has touched each and every one of us in some way. When we walk as a community, we demonstrate the pride that we have in the achievements and legacy of one of Canada’s great heroes.
The afternoon segment of Spirit Day was made up with the annual Fall Talent Show, where students, staff, and family are welcomed and encouraged to showcase their musical talents before the school. It’s been said so many time before, and it’s worthy of being said again; this school is blessed with an extraordinary level of talent when it comes to the performing arts, and the area of music is no exception. Congratulations to all who put forward the effort to entertain us as they did, and to share with us something that makes us all feel very special for being a part of it.
Spirit Week, and Spirit Day, come to a close with the Spirit Dance, the first school dance of the year. It would appear, given the level of enthusiasm surrounding all of the events of the past week, that the dance will be celebration in its own right, and we hope that everyone attending has a thoroughly enjoyable experience.
It’s important that the many people who work towards putting these events together are recognized
Some people wonder about the value of such efforts. Is it really a responsible thing to be doing with our time, especially when there is so much curriculum that needs to be taught, and a seemingly shrinking amount of time in which to teach it?
From the outside looking in, that perception is one that’s easy to take in. But make no mistake, what happens here, on days such as these, does have value, and it can be argued that it’s every bit as important as any other area of curricular study. Because what we’re building here is a sense of belonging.
We are a community, and that’s something we take a great deal of pride in. We believe that each and every one of us has value, and that value exists within the context of the broader community. When we come together as we do on days like these, we make the point to all involved that they are part of something bigger than just themselves, that they, too, are celebrated for who they are, and for what they bring to our community table every day.
In short, that they feel the sense of comfort that comes from the genuine sense of being welcomed.
There is much to learn and experience in life. Feeling good about one’s self, and feeling good about where we stand in relation to others, surely ranks in the upper echelons of importance in the great journey of life. When we come together as a community, we show that we are part of something special, something called family.
And it makes us feel good.
And it was fun, too.
And what could be wrong with that?
