An awaited competition between grades at Loretto Academy took place during the last week of September.

Widely known, Spirit Week and its adjoining Field Day are long-standing traditions for Loretto students in all grade levels. 

Days and even weeks prior, the students started looking for ideas on how to dress according to the theme.

SPIRIT WEEK

Student Body members were in charge of creating themes that were both fun and easy to follow.

President, Eloisa Urrea, said, “Choosing the themes was very stressful.” 

Vice-president, Anabella Aguilar, said, “No matter what, people would have an opinion. 

We tried to please both students and teachers, even if we knew it would be impossible.”

Secretary, Crista Castillo, said, “The themes were challenging to choose, but in the end, it was all a lot of fun.” 

Starting off the week with “Man Crush Monday”, the freshmen went all out with their costumes as Nerds, the sophomores as Bikers, the juniors with attire characteristic of  “Frat Boys” and the seniors borrowed uniforms from boys at Cathedral High School for “Cathedral Day.”

The seniors secured first place with 94% of their class dressing up.

Kattya Chacon, a Senior who won best costume on this day said, “I love spirit week.

It’s fun to see my classmates in school spirit.”

“Together Tuesday” showcased the unity that is prominent during these tough high school years; it consisted of one specific theme for each class:

The freshmen dressed as the aliens from “Toy Story”,  the sophomores dressed as “Minions”, the juniors dressed as “Smurfs”, and the seniors as the “101 Dalmatians.”

This time the sophomores took the podium. 

“Wild West Wednesday” filled the high school halls with freshmen farm animals, sophomore as bandits, Junior played the roles of sheriffs, and senior dressed as cowgirls. 

Many girls at the end of the day were tired from walking around in high-heeled boots, but their efforts were much appreciated as each helped their class have the highest percentage possible.

On Thursday, the theme was “Time Travel” and the four decades the students dressed as were: 

Freshmen as celebrity icons from the 2000s.

Sophomores as flapper girls from the 1920s.

Juniors as futuristics from the year 3000.

Seniors with colorful outfits from the 1970s.

Many costumes were DIY, “Do It Yourself”; the crafty students took advantage of this week to embody their abilities.

A poster on the foyer, with all the class percentages of each day, reflected  their efforts to have the title of “2023 Spirit Week Winners.”

FIELD DAY

The day everyone had been talking about, finally arrived. 

On Friday everyone woke up with glitter already on their faces.

Each generational color that corresponds to their lanyard, filled the school.

Freshmen in pink, sophomores in purple, juniors in green, and seniors in yellow.

 They arrived with outfits and decorations carefully chosen to have points added for class spirit.

 A Freshman proudly waved her pink “Frosh” flag.

A girl with a yellow face and an unerasable smile was ready to give her all.

The Student Council woke up early to put up the poster wall which was one of many activities in the competition.

The Loretto Athletic Association (LAA) prepared stations with physical activities for classes to compete against each other. 

The competition of students was felt through their running, jumping, sliding across the “slip n slide”, dancing and cheering.

The creativity to come up with cheers was encouraged all throughout the event.

The bonding between classmates was an experience many hadn’t had inside the classroom.

Loretto senior, Maura Aguilera, said, “The memory I take from this day is all the preparing and the unity of the classes.” 

Loretto sophomore, Miranda Alvarado who experienced her first Field Day at Loretto, said, 

“The experience was very fun, and it was very new and different. 

I didn’t really know what to expect, but it exceeded what I had hoped.”

As many refueled at lunchtime and took a break from all the physical activities, they stayed motivated and with the certainty that they would do their best.

The fun continued as the time to dance came.

Sponsors who had accompanied the classes in things such as Service Learning Activities were now showing their moves on the dance floor.

“The Senior Dance” the graduating class had practiced for two weeks was an emotional performance for the other classes to look forward to when their time comes. 

Then the moment to announce the winners left everyone silent for the first time in the day.

The results for each place were: freshmen in fourth, sophomores in third, juniors in second, and seniors in first. 

The winning class chanted their cheer in perfect unison for the last time in the day as they celebrated their victory.

Many went home with an unforgettable memory.