Squeaking boots and chants erupt from the crowd as fluorescent lights shine in the gym. This is the one time in the year where everyone’s lungs sting with yells and hoorays: the KHS spirit week Dance Competition. Students share the details for this year’s competition and the issues that come with it.
“It’s just a really fun time where we can all get together, but it gets hard when people don’t take it seriously or decide not to come to practice,” says sophomore dance leader Isabella LaBanca. While the spirit dance is the biggest event during spirit week, it tends to be the most stressful according to students; with the limited time everyone has to prepare, most people end up stressed over learning the dances, performing in front of their peers, and rearranging their schedules to attend practices.
Freshman Erica Shablick says, “Sometimes it gets difficult because kids get bored at practice.” After hours and hours of rehearsing the dance, some kids get bored of material and stop showing up or participating, which doesn’t help in polishing the routine.
“I’m only 16, and I’ve got more gray hair than my mom working on this dance!” says junior Sara Harty. The choreography of the dance is left wholly on the students of each grade, and tackling all of it while getting everyone to show up has been one of the most stressful parts according to Harty.
She continues to say, “When it’s just you and whoever is helping you against your grade, you feel like you’re screaming at a wall.” Within the weeks leading up to the competitions, there are heated discussions on how to get kids to the actual practices and what will happen when it comes time to dance in front of the entire school.
Despite these hardships, there is a huge sense of community in this event that pulls everyone together as a grade. “It really does bring us all together, we have fun and get to show the school what we did,” said sophomore Chris Gianella. Not only does the spirit dance benefit the school community, but it raises money and really sparks motivation to do well.
It’s also a memorable event for seniors, as it is there last year being able to participate in spirit week before they graduate. Senior Veer Talpade says, “This is my last spirit week and I’ve always really just like the anticipation and community of it all, it’s going to be the best one yet!”
