Students at Maple Ridge Secondary spent a week celebrating school spirit.
Various events were held all week long, organized by the student council at MRSS, culminating on Friday with Spirit Fest 2024 Grade Wars, featuring a multitude of events including a bumper balls battle, a blind box relay, and then a tug of war.
During the week there was a dress like Adam Sandler day, soccer moms versus barbecue dads involving wardrobes of cargo shorts, aprons, leggings, and fun sunglasses; students dressed up like their teachers and vice versa; and they also dressed up like their celebrity crushes.
On May 31, hundreds of students and staff enjoyed the variety of delicious delights being offered from the food trucks on site and live entertainment by MRSS school bands: String theory, Under The Influence, At & T, Rat Shrapnel, and The Moment – before cheering for their favourite teams.
Teams were divided up into the five different grades, all wearing different team colours.
"All week the grades competed against each other for who could get the most points for participating in the daily themes. We set up the grade points collection tables and student who participated that day came to earn points for their grade," explained MRSS teacher Maria Trudeau.
"After school every day we would tally the points and report on the morning PA what the grade standings were."
These points, Trudeau explained, counted for 40 per cent of the total points to win the MRSS Grade Wars trophy – the tug of war counted for another 40 per cent and points earned all year for participation in events counted for an additional 20 per cent.
The Grade 12 team came out victorious.
Diana Kim, on the student council executive, said the week is becoming a school tradition.
"This is our second year and we have a lot of fun," she said.
