Parker Briden, staff writer for The Wildcat Roar in 2011, wrote, “Spirit week 2011 will forever be known as the year of the underdog.” He was correct.

Not only did the juniors beat the seniors that year, but the sophomore boys came in first place in Boys’ Poms and the seventh grade girls beat the sophomores and freshmen in Tug-of-War. Many students were convinced that everything was rigged for the seniors to win and many still are, but there were many upsets that year that pointed towards a fair win by the juniors.

When recalling Spirit Week 2011, Jim Marsh, Head of School Emeritus, said, “I do remember that the juniors seemed to be especially motivated and determined to defeat the seniors. As the week progressed, it became apparent that the juniors were giving the seniors a run for their money. This increased the intensity of the competitions and the resolve of the juniors. It appeared to me that the seniors were a bit over confident and the juniors were simply more motivated. I’m sure that strong student leadership in the junior class also played a major role in the junior victory.”

The two major events that played into the juniors’ victory were Boys’ Poms and Halls. While the sophomores won Boys’ Poms and the juniors placed second, seniors w

ere left in third. After watching the videos taken of the event, it was clear that the creepy clown routine the seniors presented was not what the judges were looking for. Halls, an event special to the old campus, was also crucial to the juniors’ victory. At the time, Halls were worth the most points out of all the events, so the fact that the seniors placed fourth really hurt them.

This goes to show that, contrary to popular belief, Spirit Week is not rigged for the seniors to win, and anything can happen when a group of people are determined.