Seniors find fountain of school spirit

The senior class put on a first-rate show during their Quad Day on Oct. 12.

In a 40-minute performance that featured 10 dances, the destruction of an iPhone and a choir song, the class of 2013 certainly impressed in their “Pirates of the Caribbean”-themed quest to find the “fountain of school spirit” during their quad day performance on Oct. 12.

“We all put a lot of time and work into our quad day this year because we wanted to be remembered as the best senior class,” said senior Joanne Sturge, who played the head British soldier in the skit.

The senior class began planning their skit the weekend after themes were announced and held regular practices up until performance day, the last one being at 6:15 a.m. on Oct. 12.  Construction of decorations also started right away at multiple locations, one being senior Olivia Whiting’s house.

“People made the time to come over every weekend leading up to Homecoming from 10 a.m. to around 6 p.m. usually,” Whiting said.  “They worked so hard and made so much progress every week.  I knew it would look amazing.”

The two ships that served as centerpieces on the quad steps took about 120 hours to build and every minute of move-in to assemble. The senior class also had its largest number of participants this year, a diverse group that allowed them to include a range of cultural dances in their skit such as a Korean dance and an Indian dance.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean”-themed script was written and edited by a group of about 23 students who emphasized working together and highlighting everyone’s individual talents.

"I really felt that our quad day script's message was all about school spirit,” said senior Shreyas Doshi, who played the East India Trading Company General.  “We made many references to school-related stuff like the football game. Moreover, the script really showed the unity of the legendary senior class."

In comparison to other class performances and even their own previous skits, the senior class quad day was a showcase of different dances, voices and abilities in an effort to show how the class has grown together.

“Students are not trapped in the established cliques because the senior class cliques serve the purpose of establishing common interests, rather than boundaries that only certain people can cross,” senior Sam Shinnick said. 

“Each student has his or her own quirks, but for the most part our class appreciates students because of these quirks.”

Determined to go out with a  bang, the seniors displayed a plethora of excitement and school spirit from the moment when Captain Jack Sparrow rode in on his boat, fitted with a small engine and wheels, to the very last cheer in their “senior power” chant.  While they all wish they could have the chance to perform another quad day skit, they were very pleased with their final performance.

“We did an awesome job and the work and early mornings were totally worth it,” senior Tyler Bakke said.