Upper School Spirit Week 2026

Hallways become stages, classmates become teammates, and the routine of the week gives way to costumes, competition, and plenty of laughter. This year was no exception.

 

Spirit Week 2026 officially kicked off on Sunday, September 27 with the Freshman/Sophomore Picnic, followed by the Junior vs. Senior Girls Flag Football Game. The senior girls came out ahead in this high-scoring and competitive contest.

 

The first event of the school week was the Class Banner reveal during Morning Meeting, where representatives from each class displayed the banner that was creatively designed to showcase their theme for the week:

 

 

Following tradition, these banners will hang in Creeden for the remainder of the school year.

 

Before the fun of each day began, students started their mornings with purpose. All week long, they brought donations for the annual SPAN food drive, filling collection boxes one item at a time. It was a quiet but meaningful thread running through a loud and joyful week, and a reminder that school spirit also means caring for the community. The 2026 food drive was successful in stocking the shelves at SPAN with thousands of pantry essentials and personal care items.

 

Spirit Week also means a temporary reprieve from Severn’s dress code, as students can come to school dressed in themes voted on by the Student Council. The week opened with Monster Monday. Students arrived as creatures of every kind, from classic monsters to creative creations. By Tuesday, the monsters had traded their fangs for flip-flops with Tropical Tuesday. Bright floral prints, leis, and sunglasses filled the halls, bringing a touch of island sunshine to an October morning.

 

Midweek, students took a trip back to the turn of the millennium with Y2K Wednesday. Butterfly clips and early-2000s fashion made a comeback. For some faculty members, the day felt less like a costume party and more like a walk down memory lane.

 

The heroes arrived next for Thor Thursday. Capes, masks, and a few mighty hammers appeared around every corner as students dressed as their favorite superheroes. At the same time, excitement was building for Friday, as each class worked on transforming their hallway into their class theme.

 

By the next morning, the Upper School felt like a tour through four different worlds. The creativity was on display as each hallway told its own story and reflected the personality of the class that built it. The seniors took home the win in this category, creating a NY-themed experience that highlighted everything from the Theater District to the ongoing construction in the city.

 

Friday also brought two of the week's most anticipated events. After days of rehearsals, students took the stage for Sing for Your Supper, delivering variety show-style performances full of heart, energy, and talent. Congratulations to everyone who performed!

 

Then came the Spirit Week finale: Tug of War, where classes dug in, grabbed the rope, and pulled with everything they had to get Mrs. Teel’s famous wooden spoon across the center. This year, the senior boys won a close contest against the juniors, and the sophomore boys bested the freshman. The junior girls pulled off an upset of the seniors and the sophomore girls took the win against the freshmen.

 

When it was all said and done, the Class of 2027 claimed victory in 2026, earning the highest point total based on their overall participation in all the Spirit Week events and their wins in several of the high-profile events throughout the week.

 

The festivities didn't stop when the final bell rang on Friday. The weeks-long celebration led into Friday and Saturday Homecoming games – where Severn’s teams went 5-0 – and a variety of fun Homecoming and reunion activities at Severn.  Saturday evening, students closed out the best week of the year at the Homecoming Dance in the Edward St. John Athletic Center.