photo courtesy of Will Forrester
A sneak peak at the most eagerly awaited school events for the 23-24 school year.
The 2023-24 school year has officially begun, and school spirit is running high. With Spirit Week coming up and Homecoming right around the corner, TJ Spartans have a lot to anticipate.
Spirit Week begins on Monday, September 18 and lasts until Thursday, September 21. This year’s spirit days include Pajama Day, Country vs Country Club, Barbie vs Oppenheimer, and Mathletes vs Athletes. There is no school on Friday the 22nd, but Spartans will still be able to participate in many fun activities that day. One such activity is a carnival, hosted by TJ Leadership, as well as Powder Puff, a yearly event in which both junior and senior girls compete against each other in a game of flag football. Last year, the seniors dominated and this year’s seniors are hoping to continue that tradition. After Powder Puff, TJ students can head over to the Homecoming football game at All City Stadium to cheer on TJ players as they take on Standley Lake.
There are many other sports besides football taking place this season as well. Sports such as girls’ volleyball, boys’ tennis, girls’ flag football, cross country, softball, boys’ soccer, and cheerleading have officially kicked off their seasons. Seniors on any of these teams have a lot to look forward to – they can be nominated by their coaches for a spot in the Homecoming court and have a chance to win the prestigious title of Homecoming King or Queen.
The Homecoming dance is September 23rd and will take place inside the gym this year. For the past couple of years, the dance has been outside due to COVID-19 restrictions. However, this year, those restrictions will be fully lifted and TJ will once again be able to have the annual dance in the gym. Unlike prom, there are no grade restrictions for Homecoming and all students are welcome. With no air conditioning, however, many are worried about whether or not the event will be unbearably hot.
Despite construction this summer to put air conditioning systems in place, TJ will not have working AC until next year. Due to the recent temperatures and the lack of AC, TJ has had a few heat days, which are essentially half-days so that students and faculty can escape the rising temperatures. Freshmen, however, are even more used to the heat than the rest of the school. Their first experience at TJ was during two of the hottest days of the year – two days of miserably hot Freshman Academy.
In the past, Freshman Academy has typically been a week-long learning process in which the newest Spartans can learn where their classes are without any other grades burdening the halls. However, due to the summer construction, freshmen were forced to condense all of that learning into just two days. Freshmen started on Monday the 21st and were ‘alone’ in the school until Wednesday the 23rd. Now that everyone is back in school, Spartans can begin looking forward to the exciting events and sports games that are coming up. Students from all grades are welcome at any of the upcoming events, so make sure to keep those dates in mind to experience TJ’s fun annual traditions!
