Each year in the first week of October, high schools across New Jersey band together to celebrate the Week of Respect: a shared tradition of mutual kindness and understanding. In previous years, one could expect to see droves of students roaming through the halls in waves of blue, green, and white, all the while cajoling and cheering and chattering.
Our halls are quieter than they used to be, but life goes on. In light of our new norm of hybrid schooling, the student council has shaped the Week of Respect into an event that everyone can participate in, virtual or not.
“ The week of respect is an amazing week to show support for different causes and for the school,” says Matthew Smith, president of the school council. “This year the executive board and I had to come up with progressive ways to promote school spirit.”
Of course, students at home have the opportunity to participate in the Week of Respect, as well.
“Fully virtual students can participate in the week of Respect by sending in a selfie wearing purple on their color dress-up day,” says Bridget Wang, a member of the student council. For the “KHS” group photo, the purple cohort will make up the ‘H.’ Also, we will be hosting a Scavenger Hunt and Kahoot for prizes on the all-virtual day, Wednesday, so everyone can participate during that event, as well.”
“This unprecedented year makes us have to include not only students who attend school in person but also the ones who attend virtually,” says Smith.
Aside from the activities themselves, the Week of Respect will also follow all appropriate health guidelines in order to minimize the risk of viral transmission.
“The students’ safety this year is our utmost concern. We will continue to follow and enforce the social distancing rules. At the same time, we want to make this year as ‘normal’ as possible,” says Smith.
For activities such as the staff trivia event, “If a teacher feels uncomfortable taking a selfie with a student, the student can find the poster with all the staff member names and take a selfie pointing to the teacher’s name,” says Wang.
In spite of the continuation of the Week of Respect, some students may be left wondering about the status of KHS’s Spirit Week, which has traditionally always taken place the week after.
“I want to assure every student who has a concern that there will be no spirit week this year that in fact, there will be a spirit week,” says Smith. “I plan, as long as the school does not shut down, to have an in-person spirit week in the spring. If for some reason the school does end up closing again, I would propose some kind of online spirit week, but that is our last resort.”
