By Ben Shifrin ’13, Staff Writer

Each year as we approach October, thoughts become more melancholy as the fall sets in, bringing with it the cold weather and darker days. The one thing that keeps most people excited, however, is the school’s traditional spirit week. Spirit week is a great way for everyone at the Academy—students and faculty alike—to express themselves and relieve some of the stress of the school year, as well as the dreary onset of fall. Elaine Zhou, Grade 6, says, “I’m really excited for my first spirit week, it’s really fun!” Indeed, spirit week is great for people new to the school, as its uplifting mood and festive traditions  create an atmosphere of welcome and community unrivaled by other school events. Freshman AJ Hyans thinks that “Spirit week is a great thing because it really feels like it brings the community together, and it inspires competition in the best possible way.” This sentiment is shared by many people in the community, who agree that the competitive aspects of spirit week really help to boost the feeling of community, rather than turn people against each other.

Furthermore, Spirit week’s power as a stress reliever should not to be overlooked. As the school’s mood begins to turn down after the initial excitement of being back with all of your friends, spirit week provides a lighthearted way to remind everyone that while our school is primarily a place of learning, that doesn’t mean it cannot be a place for fun. 12^th Grader Marisa Tomaino comments, “As a senior, there’s a lot of inherent stress, balancing advanced classes, extracurriculars, applying to colleges, and maintaining a social life, and one of the best things about NA is spirit week, because it lets you relax a little bit when there’s a lot of pressure from other sources.” Seniors would agree with Tomaino’s point, as spirit week provides an important respite from the ever demanding workload. On a larger scale, Mr. Parlin, who has seen a great deal of spirit weeks, said during the week: “This year’s spirit week seems more spirited than ever before, and there was definitely a higher percentage of red in the auditorium this morning than I’ve seen previous years.”

In addition, Ms. Galvin points out that, recently, “Spirit [in the school in general] has become more inclusive. Whereas before, it might have been just one group of students acting spirited, now, everyone has a niche, and everyone gets excited about something. There’s this idea that more people means more spirit, but I think that a club with eight people in it can be even more spirited than an entire auditorium, if they really love what they’re doing.” The consensus between teachers, it seems, is that our school is slowly becoming more spirited, and that as we move forward, it’s important to maintain that vibrancy, as it’s an integral part of our sense of community. Galvin commented, in closing, that she “would love to have a ‘silly spirit week,’ maybe in the winter or spring, and that if people have ideas for things like this, they should come to council meetings and make themselves heard!”