The long-awaited Winter Spirit Week began today with Pajama Day. Spirit Week occurs in conjunction with several other events including Common Grounds, the winter pep rally, and Kiss the Goat, a competition to raise money for the new Ritchie the Rocket Mascot Costume.

Common Grounds, an exciting prelude to the spirit week, was held on Friday, December 16, in the auditorium. The triple 7th period allowed for three sessions to accommodate all students.

Tihitina Aytenfisu, a senior on the SGA executive board, hopes these winter events, and Common Grounds especially, will unify the student body. “Common Grounds showcases and gives appreciation to the talents and cultures within Richard Montgomery’s diverse student body. It is an opportunity for even ESOL students, who often feel separated from the rest of the school, to shine,” Aytenfisu said.

Senior Sofia Bhalwani, the school president, agrees that Common Grounds is important because it allows the school to be exposed to new things. “All of these events are especially important for me because it allows our students to take a break from all the academics and assessments and to relax with their friends while enjoying school-sponsored activities,” Bhalwani said, “Common Grounds is especially important because it delivers the message of acceptance and harmony that is especially important in the real world and promotes the diversity and spirit within our school.”

Winter Spirit Week started with Pajama Day, a nice break following weeks without any holidays. Pajama Day will be followed by Ugly Sweater Day to get students into the holiday spirit.

“I love Spirit Week because I can just go all out and show spirit. Normally, I would have to go through a lot of effort to plan my outfit. During Spirit Week, I know what I’m going to wear and I don’t have to worry about comparing myself to other people and what they wear, especially on Ugly Sweater Day, because everyone is wearing the same thing,” sophomore Katie Spencer said.

The new Baller Wednesday invites students to dress up like a basketball player and attend basketball games after school. Sophomore Maura Peang-Meth is an athlete who plays for the school’s girls basketball team. “I really like Spirit Week because it gets everyone excited and unified and gets the athletes to feel excited and appreciated too. Especially, I hope Baller Day will increase participation in basketball games,” Peang-Meth said.

Inspired by an episode from Phineas and Ferb, Thursday’s S’winter Day encourages students to dress in both winter and summer clothes. In the namesake song, Phineas says, “It’s summer and winter together. It’s S’winter! (Some people call it Wummer!)”

“I’m looking most forward to S’winter because it was always one of my favorite episodes on Phineas & Ferb and I can’t wait to actually dress up for it! Personally, I plan on going all out for every single day, especially on S’winter. Catch me in my goggles & snow overalls walking down Main Street next Thursday!” Bhalwani said.

Check out the SGA’s Winter Spirit Week video below:
http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og_-8Rq_qxc

Spirit Week will come to a close with the classic Black and Gold Day, to unify all grade levels as Rockets. Friday will be jam-packed with events, including Kiss the Goat during lunch and the pep rally in the afternoon.

Kiss the Goat will be a competition to raise money for the new Ritchie the Rocket Mascot Costume. This year the contestants are Mr. Monteleone, Mr. Garrick, Mr. Klotz, Ms. Shay, and Sofia Bhalwani. The contestant who raised the most money during spirit week will kiss a goat during Friday’s lunch.

“The time has come for our fabulous Richie the Rocket to retire. The Kiss the Goat funds will help us buy a fresh, spectacular, awesome mascot that’ll definitely hype up crowds, scare opponent mascot teams, and give pride to the Richard Montgomery name. Whoever wins the Kiss the Goat competition, will be crowned the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) kisser, so I definitely want to win!” Bhalwani said.

The winter pep rally will occur during Friday afternoon in the gym. There will be two sessions: the freshman and sophomore pep rally will start first, followed by the pep rally for juniors and seniors. In addition to bringing school spirit and unity, the pep rally celebrates the hard work of RM’s student athletes and encourages support in their endeavors. Additionally, the pep rally hopes to incorporate student clubs, such as the dance club, in order to bring a sense of community before the new year.

Spencer believes that the pep rally is one of the best parts of spirit week and hopes that its hype will continue. “I’m really looking forward to the pep rally because it’s an amazing display of school spirit and it’s really fun to cheer on the performers with your friends,” Spencer said.

After organizing and publicizing these events, Aytenfisu had some advice for students to keep in mind when dressing up for Spirit Week. “Remember to wear comfortable clothing and follow the dress code. Also, avoid paint or glitter that may rub off easily or smudge,” Aytenfisu said. “However, Spirit Week is a chance to have some laughs in friends as you dress in fun outfits, so have fun!”

As a senior, Bhalwani encourages others to join in on the fun. “Participate! It’s better to overdress than to underdress. No one can ever insult you by saying ‘You’re way too spirited.’ In fact, that’s a compliment. An insult would be ‘You aren’t spirited enough.’ Never be on the receiving end of that insult. Never,” Bhalwani said.