Spirit. It is the thing that inspires hope, pride, and thrives in the hearts of students during one special week. It is the week that breaks up the stressful moments that consume us. Spirit Week allows students to take a step back and enjoy the fun and lively spirit that hides under chaotic school days. Each semester at CCES, we are able to enjoy a week that celebrates the things that make us Cavaliers. Friendship, teamwork, energy, and fun fill the five days. Being a new Cavalier, I didn’t quite know what to expect with my first “Homegoing” Spirit Week. I have seen schools do the basic Spirit Week, and now I’ve seen Christ Church do Spirit Week. CCES goes all out to celebrate which is just another reason the Cavaliers stand out from the rest. Christ Church allowed Upper School students to have fun celebrating being a Cavalier with the “Cavs Got Game” themed week through the creative dress-up days, a student-faculty basketball game, Senior skits, bowling, and a dance, while using these events to aid St. Anthony’s of Padua Catholic School.

To kick off the board game themed week, students rolled out of bed Monday morning and came to school for Candyland Day. Cavaliers enjoyed a casual day one of Spirit Week with many students wearing their PJs. Sweat pants and comfy t-shirts filled the halls and made a normally stressful Monday a little bit easier. Warm muffins and coffee also came to the rescue to wake everyone up with the profit sharing restaurant being Mug and Muffin. After school, the day one festivities didn’t stop there. Addie Heigel, a CCES Sophomore, said, “My favorite part about Spirit Week is all of the events at each night.” So, to end the day homegoing court put on funny skits to help get everyone in the Spirit Week mood. To spell it out simply, Cavaliers enjoyed Scrabble day on Tuesday. Groups of friends got creative by wearing letters on their clothes to spell words or phrases. Everyone got to start the day sweetly with donuts from Krispy Kreme, and continue the day sweetly with frozen yogurt from TCBY at lunch. Chick-fil-a was Tuesday night’s profit sharing restaurant which allowed Student Council members to work for 3 hours to earn as much money for St. Anthony’s as possible by working the tables. Cavaliers are always aiming for future goals, so naturally we had to have one day that celebrated our future careers on Game of Life Day. Scrubs, business suits, and jerseys could be easily spotted on Wednesday. With bagels from our profit sharing restaurant of the morning Greenfield’s in hand, students walked around sporting their ideal future career. Cavs teamed up to bowl after a long Wednesday to keep the spirit alive at the AMF Bowling Alley. CCES students were a little difficult to spot on Thursday. The camo was abundant on Battleship Day as student enjoyed dressing up in battle gear. Everyone also snacked on their last TCBY treat of the week during lunch. Cavaliers fueled up for the end of the week at the crowd favorite restaurant, Moe’s. Feeling pretty pumped up about being a Cavalier, students jumped around at Sky Zone, the most anticipated night event of the week, in my opinion. To begin the end of the festivities on Friday, students grabbed some Chick-fil-a before school. A catered lunch from Moe’s was definitely a Spirit Week necessity. With a half day of classes and a week full of spirit and fun, students were feeling weekend ready and proud to be a Cavalier. William Thomas, a CCES junior, perfectly summed up what it means to be a Cavalier, “My favorite thing about being a Cavalier is the sense of not only unity, but community. Everybody is kind and uplifting and welcoming, which is unique for a school.”     

All in all, it became pretty clear to me what CCES is all about. Working together for the kids at St. Anthony’s was the main goal this week, and the Cavaliers certainly exceeded their goal. Believe it or not, the fundraising doesn’t stop at the end of this week. On February 5th, St.Joe’s and Christ Church students will run in The Together for Greenville Color Run to raise even more money. Hopefully, next year, Student Council can find a way to make the Spirit Week even better. Cavaliers are always raising the bar, so I have no doubt they will go up and beyond.