Zanies come out for DV Spirit Week

WESTFALL —The halls of Delaware Valley High School were packed with Supermen, Madonna look-alikes, twins, and an abundance of school colors during its annual pre-homecoming Spirit Week last week. The week is designed to promote school spirit, leading up to the homecoming football game and dance. Each day has a theme, created and voted on by student council members. This year, “Twin Day,” a school favorite, was on Monday, Sept. 24, followed on Tuesday by “‘80’s Day.” Girls sported side-ponytails, off-the-shoulder sweaters, leggings, ankle warmers, blue eye shadow and pink lipstick; boys wore Aviator sunglasses, roller skates, spandex shorts and mullets. Spiderman, Captain Underpants, Gumby, a clone of 11/12 Assistant Principal Christopher Pietraszewski, and several gangs of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were among the students on “Superhero & Villain Day” in the middle of the week. As might be expected, one instance of a junior in an Adolph Hitler getup was considered offensive by some. Contrarily, the student said he did not intend to offend any particular group and was merely following the student council approved day, which did not outlaw non-fictional villains. “If he would’ve gone up to a certain person and made them feel uncomfortable, then disciplinary actions would’ve been taken; however, he complied with any requests to cover up his costume, and everyone was fine. We just set the stakes when we included “Villains” [in the Spirit Day],” said 11/12 Principal Joseph Casmus. Thursday’s Spirit Day was the annual Class Theme Day, selected by each grade’s class officers. Seniors dressed as jungle inhabitants, coming to class as monkeys, giraffes, elephants, gorillas and even trees, while juniors’ costumes followed a “Space Exploration,” theme; some wearing alien antennae and Buzz Lightgear memorabilia. Seniors Tony Whitty and Hanna Kollbocker were crowned “Tarzan and Jane,” for having the best jungle costumes. Students in tenth grade wore their once-vogue bell-bottomed jeans, flannel pants, tie-died shirts, Britney Spears inspired skirts and pig-tails, with a class theme of “1990’s- Where it All Began.” Clowns frequented the freshmen classrooms, in accordance with their “Circus Magic” theme. One last Spirit Day holdover ended the week, encouraging all grades to dress in school colors. Seniors wore black, white and red; juniors, red; sophomores, white; and freshmen, black. Marcus Sullivan, a junior, walked the halls in a dress on “Superhero & Villain Day,” claiming his type of hero was any man who would wear a dress. “I like Spirit Week because I get to see everyone dressed up and I want to show my school spirit. And I also just wanted to have an excuse to wear a dress to school,” he said laughing.