By: Jessi Hersh

In their final spirit week, Hopkinton High School seniors tried to be as spirited as possible, as opposed to their freshman year, where many students recall being unspirited and unenthusiastic.

Guidance counselor, Lee Greco, has been the senior class advisor for the past four years and has seen the class grow and mature.

“They’ve become healthier. It’s less about being destructive, and more about getting pumped up and coming together to support all teams. It’s more organized, more creative, and more unified,” said Greco. “In the earlier days there’s been some kids who just could not contain themselves. They were counter productive.”

Ashley Olafsen, who has been the senior’s vice president for three years, has also noticed the change. “It is so much better. We have organization. Everyone’s gotten a lot more into spirit week. It was not this crazy when we were freshmen,” said Olafsen.

The organization centers around pep rally, specifically the class skit/entrance. Jenna Thyne, senior, also recalled the past class skits.

“We didn’t even have a class skit freshman year. Sophomore year was a fail. We were disorganized. You couldn’t hear the piano, and our class threw glow sticks at the freshman,” said Thyne. “Last year was our best one. Lisa [Lynds] sang the national anthem, and it was moving and made teachers cry. And she cried she was so happy.”

Senior Catherine Zhang agreed that last year’s skit was the best. “It brought the whole class together when we all started singing along with her and it brought the whole school together, and that’s what pep rally is all about,” said Zhang.

“Maddie Dragsbaek. That was the big difference this year. We had Maddie Dragsbaek,” said Olafsen about this year’s senior entrance.

The senior’s freshman year was the first year that pep rally had no class colors. Senior Quinn Fitzpatrick remembers how upset people were.

“Everyone was really disappointed about taking away colors, but now everyone is seemingly over it,” said Fitzpatrick. “It was weird seeing how upset the upperclassmen were that year. But this year with camo, it was like we had our own class colors.”

The change was in more than just pep rally. Even in spirit week, students were more enthusiastic than in past years. Senior Dan Barra offers his reasoning for the change.

“When I first started high school I didn’t realize the significance of bonding together as a class for spirit week. Now that I’m a senior, I realize how important it is to enjoy the time together as a class,” said Barra.

Senior Sarah Kenney thinks this year was her favorite for spirit week.

“Freshman year, we were not spirited. I don’t even think I wore my pajamas that week, and that’s the best one,” said Kenney. “This year, I think people are more involved. I’m definitely more involved. I didn’t really participate back when I was an underclassman and now my friends all do.”

For seniors, who traditionally do different themes than the rest of the school, this year’s spirit days were business day, hippie day, blackout day, USA day, and Hillers day on Friday for pep rally.

“I liked the business day, that was my favorite,” said Kenney. “I liked how everyone was into it. Not only were they dressed in business clothes, but as they walked down the hallway, I heard people saying, ‘Gotta go to my meeting!’ Some kid even came up to me and said, ‘Catch you for lunch!’”

Thyne recalls her freshman year, thinking about why she wasn’t as spirited as this year

“I was not very spirited. My sister was a senior, so I felt like she went so hard and I felt like it would have been weird if I was as spirited as a senior,” said Thyne. “But now I see that anyone can be spirited, freshman or senior.”