Many people consider the Christmas season to be the “most wonderful time of the year.” However, any Mt. Hebron student will tell you that this distinction is reserved for Spirit Week. This year, Spirit Week began on Friday, Oct. 9, and as tradition follows, students of all grades crowded into the gym after first period for a chance to be named the student with the best costume idea and a part of the most spirited class.

Typically, seniors tend to fair very well in all Spirit Week activities. The Class of 2016 lived up to expectations and took home first place for Pajama Day and went all out for U.S.A. Day, winning first place for their classic American cookout theme.

The underclassmen also performed well. The juniors won the title of Most Spirited Class on Pajama Day, much to the chagrin of some seniors. The sophomore class won second place for their collective playing of the National Anthem.

On Tuesday, Costume Day, the juniors coordinated a luau-themed beach party in the gym. Decked out in Hawaiian shirts and beach gear, they threw beach balls and pool floats in a farcical attempt to exhibit “junior class superiority.” But the seniors arguably one-upped the juniors with a creative costume theme: the hikers of “Mount Hebron.” The seniors dressed in hiking gear and brought a painted mountain sign. Again, the seniors were victorious and won first place for Costume Day.

Seniors dream through Pajama Day.

On Wednesday, the school celebrated Viking Pride Day, which proved to be a true test to see which seniors were the most dedicated Mt. Hebron students. Since it was also PSAT day, many seniors did not participate, but the few who did dressed as yellow bananas, representing our school colors, or wore their Hebron for Hope T-shirts. However, the juniors took home first place for the day with their class wide blackout.

Many students share SGA president Anna Hemelt’s opinion of Spirit Week.

“My favorite event from Homecoming week was Color Day because it’s so fun to be united by classes and to be able to see the entire school in the stands at the same time was awesome,” Hemelt said.

Class pride was made evident by the explosion of colors that ran through the hallways on Thursday as students from all grades decked out in their red, blue, yellow and black. It was not hard to separate each student into their respective grades since nearly every student dressed up.

At the end of Color Day, students and faculty members packed into the bleachers for the pep rally, which, along with all of the Spirit Week festivities, was organized by the SGA. Seniors overcame the underclassmen and beat all three grades in both the tug of war competition and the relay race.  With their uncontrollable spirit, creativity and excitement, the Class of 2016 truly made the most of their final Spirit Week.

Saturday morning, at the annual Homecoming Pancake Breakfast, people of all ages lined up in the cafeteria to pick up a batch of fresh pancakes and coffee. A joyous mood spread through the cafeteria as families chatted about the exciting events to come that day.

“I enjoyed the pancake breakfast, not only because of the food, but also because of the many faces I saw that were enjoying their time with each other,” said senior Dana Chin.

After the Pancake Breakfast, SGA members, the Homecoming court, band members, Cavaliers, class board members and other parade participants met at the Church of the Resurrection to set up for the parade, which kicked off at 11 am.

The hard work of class board members was put on display as the four class floats drove past the crowds of people. Participants of the parade were greeted by children from the Mt.. Hebron community, eager to receive candy and to see the creative floats.  The Marching Unit kept the excitement high as they marched past the crowds, showing off their skills.

“I’ve never been to the parade before,”said junior Jude Jawhar, who spoke of her experience as a Homecoming court nominee in the parade fondly. “It was fun despite the freezing cold weather.”

“I loved participating in the parade!” Jawhar continued. “It was exciting, and I loved throwing candy to the kids.”

The Mt. Hebron vs Reservoir Varsity football game followed the parade, starting at 1 pm. The Vikings put up a tough fight, but it was not enough to keep up with the intensity of the Gators. Although the Vikings lost to the Gators 47-7, fans did not lose their spirit.

There was even a special guest in attendance at the football game. Former Principal Scott Ruehl showed his support by cheering on the Vikings during the game.

“I loved coming back and seeing all the students and staff,” Mr. Ruehl said. “I was truly touched when the kids started chanting my name. I miss the daily interaction with not just the best students in the county, but in my opinion the country.”

A Mt. Hebron player makes his way down the field.

During halftime, the Homecoming King and Queen were announced. This year, seniors Laura Radov and Kyle Watts were able to receive the honor in front of their family and friends. Radov carried on a family tradition by being the third daughter to win the title of Homecoming queen.

The winners of the class board float competition as well as the class paintings of the wall were also revealed at this time. The Class of 2016 took home first place for the float competition with juniors following in second. For the painting of the wall, juniors won first place with seniors following in second. The overall winners of the Spirit Week competition was the senior class.

Homecoming festivities ended with the traditional Homecoming dance. Students from all grades dressed up in beautiful attire and danced the night away. Students were eager to hit the dance floor and show off their dancing skills.

“[The Homecoming dance] was fun,” freshman Josh Leach said. “The music was awesome, and I enjoyed dancing with friends while being dressed up.”

It is clear to see that the passion students have for the school is truly what makes Homecoming weekend at Mt. Hebron so successful and enjoyable. The only thing students have to worry about now is counting down the days until next year’s Homecoming!