Submitted by Amanda Di Pasquale- Marist High School Student
Spirit Week is a time that Marist High School’s students look forward to from the moment they return from summer break. Not only because it’s the last week before Christmas break, but because it’s a genuinely enjoyable time spent with other students and teachers.  Everyone gets into the Marist spirit and participates. Those who don’t usually join in on the other fun events, such as sports games and the pep rally, usually allow themselves to be caught up into the Spirit Week fun.
“It’s a week of merry chaos,†teacher Wayne Pratko jokes. Mr. Pratko and Ms. Gonzalez have been in charge of spirit week for about 10 years now. The Champagnat Games is the very last day of Spirit Week. It is a culmination of the competition for class and school pride taking place all week. This year, they’ve brought new games into the Champagnat Games, adding to such favorites as Izzy Dizzy and Leap Frog. “We got rid of the frozen shirt contest because it took 72 hours to unfreeze the stupid thing,†Mr. Pratko said, “Yeah, it was just a mess, so now we have dodge ball and balloon races.â€
The tree decorating and Christmas liturgy have already taken place. Students are preparing for the rest of the week, which includes three themed dress-up days. Each year level has a different category within each theme. It’s a fun competition in which each grade has to come together to try and come out on top. “As usual, the seniors are going to win.