In a battle for the spirit stick, the junior class decorated their hallways for spirit week.

For Independence’s first ever homecoming week, each class decorated their respective hallways for the occasion. The eventual result of the best hall would be a junior class victory.  The junior students started their task of decorating on Nov. 4, and finished during the later hours of Nov. 5.  

Each of the hallways fit a different theme that went along with the homecoming title “We Got The Beat.” The junior class had the theme of disco, and they took on this hallway theme with all the right moves.  

  With an idea in mind and the desire for the spirit stick, the students started to put in the work. The hallway had many dynamic parts from moving lights, music, bright colors and a checkerboard dance floor. “I think everyone communicated really well,” said Elisa Banfi, 11. “We all shared our ideas and listened to others.” 

Sarah Chevraux, 11, echoed this sentiment.  “I like how we all just came together,” Chevraux said. “[We were] spitting out ideas … our plan got better each minute.” She claims this was the major key to their success in winning the spirit stick, with, of course, “no shade to the sophomores.”

With spirit being a large part of why the hallways were being decorated, Banfi says that the junior class feels very accomplished and proud of their work.  Her favorite part of the hallway was the disco floor in the middle of the hall, because “it looked really cool, and I was proud that my idea was a part of it.”

 A takeaway from multiple students was that the hallway decorating gave everyone the opportunity to meet new people and getting to create an amazing hallway with their friends. Banfi put it best, “my favorite memory was probably meeting/getting to know people, and decorating with my friends.”  

The class sponsors for the junior class, Mrs. Shauntel Sibley and Mrs. Lisa Preston teach English at Independence, and oversaw the operation of getting the hallway put together.  Sibley and Preston ensured all the work got done on time; “the actual night wasn’t too difficult. Mrs. Preston and I were in charge of ordering pizza and making sure we finished on time.” 

The planning was another thing the sponsors had a part in, but not just in planning what the hall would look like.  They also had a part in making sure the juniors would carry themselves in an appropriate manner, “we had a planning meeting where we sketched a rough plan and encouraged good sportsmanship, but the juniors designed the hallway.”

All of the hard work that the juniors put into their halls and spirit day participation led up to the pep rally announcement.  With excitement in the air, the juniors stood and waited for the announcement of which hall was the best. The freshman class was announced as third place, which left the sophomores and juniors.  

The sophomores were announced as second, and with that announcement the junior class cheered as they realized they had won.