The week of October 4th garnered an undeniable display of P.R.I.D.E. in the Pack at West Morris Central, with the beloved annual Homecoming Spirit Week underway! The Wolfpack community filled the hallways with decorative costumes and eager attitudes, not only in hopes of earning spirit points for their classes, but to make this week one full of PAWsitive memories and unforgettable comradery. Listed below are the themes for this year’s Homecoming Spirit Week:
Monday – U.S.A. Day
Tuesday – Groutfit Day
Wednesday – Country vs. Country Club
Friday – Pink Out
However, the significance of Spirit Week extended far beyond style. WMC’s four class councils played an integral role in bringing the events of the week into fruition, and also hosted engaging fundraisers each day at lunch to raise money to benefit their respective quarter of the student body. “The student and class councils begin planning Spirit Week right away when we come back to school,” explains Student Council Treasurer Dede Elghazaly. “We plan out the themes for each day and brainstorm activities for lunch, and then the eventual Spirit Rally.” On Monday, the Classes of 2027 and 2028 hosted a three-point shot competition in the Main Gym, where students could pay to showcase their hoop skills and potentially win a prize. The Class of 2026 then sweetened up lunchtime with their candy guessing game on Tuesday, calling for students to predict how many pieces of candy were in a large jar. The Class of 2025 hosted their notorious Knockout Tournament as the final fundraiser of the week on Wednesday, where dozens of students signed up to compete in a series of three exhilarating games, filled with leaping layups and several suspenseful shots.
The Wolfpack community then closed out what was an absolutely electric school week with the third annual Spirit Rally at the end of the day on Friday. Classes operated on an activity bell schedule, shortening periods to leave ample time for trademark Spirit Rally events. There was of course the highly-anticipated Tug-of-War game, in which the strong-willed Class of 2027 upset the event’s reigning champions, the Class of 2026, as well as a new event that certainly got students “pumped up” on school spirit.
This year, the WMC student and class councils incorporated an inflatable costumes race into the jam-packed Spirit Rally scheduled. Each class selected a representative to zip into a gigantic inflatable costume and run in a relay race across the stadium field. The Class of 2027 arose victorious once again, with sophomore Ryan Barcadepone out stepping senior Brady Bentrewicz by just a blown-up paw. Administration also wanted in on the fun, with Principal Mr. Rymer, Assistant Principal Mr. Carroll, and Director of School Counseling Services Mr. Ferrari then also facing off in their finest animal costumes. “It has been really cool to watch the Spirit Rally grow, given that it is a fairly new deal at WMC,” says Ms. Shaffer, Co-Student Council advisor and school counselor. “Preparations for the rally definitely looked different this year with the inflatable races now in the mix, but it was fun to have all of the class advisors get their runners together and see how it played out.”
Although the freshman certainly put them to the test all week, the Class of 2025 was able to secure their fourth and final Spirit Week win. “I think that Spirit Week is such a happy and exciting time, as everyone comes together, dresses up for the theme days, and is motivated to show their school spirit,” Elghazaly expresses. “It is such a great time for everyone to come together and enjoy these memories, and I hope that the underclassmen continue to get as excited for it as we do.”
