Amidst the most unusual school year at Hillsborough High School, every student’s typical yearly activities have been disrupted in some way – whether they have been cancelled or modified. Among these many activities is the Student Council. Despite the challenges of hosting elections during a virtual schedule, we were still able to hold elections for Student Council earlier in the school year, and the students have elected President Mark Colavita, Vice President Casey Kiernan, Secretary Rohan Deb, Treasurer Luke Moleski, and Board of Education Representative Shriya Bhargava. 

As the Student Council officers, the five have a lot to manage regarding this year’s Spirit Night and other school activities, considering the difficult circumstances. Without lunch periods, our school has lost the ability to host one of the most important monthly activities for spirit points, the lunchtime activities. In past years, these events let one to two members of each grade per lunch period compete in various physical challenges like throwing objects in a basket or wrapping a partner in toilet paper. 

Also, spirit days are impacted by the hybrid schedule. With less than half the students attending school each day and with many students opting to be fully virtual, it is difficult to organize an effective way to allow every student to participate. So, what new activity could replace these events in light of the hybrid schedule this year? The officers have contemplated this and decided to run trivia contests. 

These trivia contests are sent every two weeks, and participants are able to earn spirit points for their grade. In addition to spirit points, one winner per grade is selected to get a $5 Dunkin Donuts gift card. So far, the trivia questions have had themes based on the time of the year. For example, during the week of Halloween, the officers prepared and sent questions based on the holiday, and recently, the week after Election Day, the theme was U.S. Presidents. 

However, lunchtime activities and spirit days are the first of many challenges they have had to overcome; what they are really prioritizing is Spirit Night in May. The high risk of COVID cases begs the questions of whether or not the most hyped-up event of the year is happening, and how it might be different than past years. 

According to Colavita, the officers are working with the advisors to find ways that Spirit Night can happen. One of the possibilities they are accounting for is hosting the event outside on the football field, considering the high risk that comes with packing thousands of students into the gym as well as the suitable conditions that are warm enough for everyone’s comfort. 

“I refuse to be the president who lets the tradition of Spirit Night die,” Colavita said.

Colavita is determined to find a way that we can successfully have a Spirit Night, so that the seniors can have the epic conclusion to high school that they have been waiting for since freshman year.