The Class of 2023 has tackled Spirit Week through some serious obstacles. Between COVID shutdowns and vacant, untouchable walls, we have felt both triumph and shame through our participation in Wall Day. To recap the importance of Wall Day to our class, I decided to explain each wall we have decorated since freshman year and the general opinions on them.

First we have Freshman Wall 1: 70s

Now, I’m going to preface the delivery of our wall with one disclaimer and agreeable statement: this wall was created in three days. No one ever truly understands the panic of an approaching Wall Day and no resources until you experience it for the first time. We’ve all been there, it’s a freshman thing. I consider the first freshman wall for any class a rite of passage. 

The wall itself was not completely horrendous. Okay, it was. This wall was not only lacking colored paper, it was lacking spirit.

I mean the hanging records were a good thought… but where were the rest of the balloons? What happened to the streamers? Why does it look like a failed school dance? One thing I will say is that everyone can agree there is freshman discrimination, I distinctly remember the fight between being able to cover the lights in order to add to the 70s “vibe” and the “no speaker rule” which seemed to only pertain to the freshman. Looking back, I think that it was fair (but I might be biased). Overall, 70s as a theme is not a bad choice because it is not difficult to dress up for if you have access to the closet of a person over 50, or any thrift shop.

Freshman Wall Day 2: Star Wars

What can I say, Star Wars is a classic. It seems like every two years a freshman class picks it up because I guess it is just a default theme.

The popularity of the movies is definitely a reason for this, but is it really that easy to dress up as a green humanoid alien with weirdly large ears or as a specialized mechanical being with AI? This wall was also lacking serious coverage photo-wise, so I’m going to reimagine it from memory. The infamous orange paper added to the Luke Skywalker-blue-milk-Tatooine feeling and I can appreciate the addition of the sunset. There were some characters present in our wall though most were not completely recognizable. I recall an assortment of droids and some reincarnation of the Death Star? Freshmen think big.

Sophomore Spirit Week 1: Mario

Alright so COVID took away our ability to wreak havoc on our school walls with the Mario theme we picked, so I’m going to rate the outfits worn and general idea of the theme. I did not and still do not favor this theme. I liked it a lot less when I was scouring the Charleston area for a Luigi hat on a random Thursday night, but in hindsight, it really was not that bad. The theme opens up a lot of possibilities because of the wide range of characters involved in the Mario franchise. Of course, we did have an abundance of Mario’s, Luigi’s, and Princess Peaches’, and I remember the specific sight of hats that were too big and tutus that were too small, but I happily recall the participation being surprisingly good for a theme more on the obscure side.

Sophomore Spirit Week 2: Old Hollywood

YES. This wall is my favorite. Sorry to all of the other ones but I think that most will agree the planning for the wall, execution of the wall, and participation from our class was top tier for Spirit Week. Not only was the wall fun because of an opportunity for fashion statements and dressing up, it also had so many possibilities for decorating, and appealed to the teachers. The wall included a velvet entrance rope, vintage records, a stage with a keyboard, a red carpet, our own rendition of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, gold accented balloons, streamers, and stars everywhere. I liked that the wall made us sophomores feel special-as if we were all VIPs who got invited to an exclusive party in the front section of the school. This wall even beat the juniors with its old-style charm. The long dresses, the white gloves, suits and ties, hair pieces, and hats, this wall did it all. I distinctly remember a certain Ms. Lucy Pinckney commented on this beautiful creation saying “I don’t usually vote for walls, but if I did I would vote for you.” Need I say more.

Junior Spirit Week 1: Camelot

Upon hearing that our theme would be Medieval Times or “Camelot,” I was very skeptical. Of course, I was only thinking inside the box, because everyone seemed to be confident that a theme like Camelot wouldn’t leave our grade looking like peasants. Of course, the proposal of this theme left me in dismay: How could we decorate a wall if Medieval Times was only about castles and dragons? How do you even dress up for that? What even is Camelot? You are probably also wondering how our wall turned out. Well somehow it worked out and the name Camelot made for some good Wall Day theme songs.

The dressing up aspect of the wall was impressive and honestly not even that difficult. The popularity of the corset trend definitely helped add a fashion statement to the theme (which trust me, I eat up) but, there was some controversy because of a suspected overlap in costumes between the juniors and the seniors. They wore corsets and blouses both in Medieval Times and as pirates, okay. The wall itself was incredibly impressive. It was adorned with Camelot-esque flags representing each junior study hall, goblets and silverware, candles, skeletons, cobwebs, pumpkins, chandeliers, swords, a treasure chest, and of course a giant blow-up dragon (to be true to the theme).

Junior Spirit Week 2: Alice in Wonderland

This Wall Day theme won right after I had freshly watched Alice in Wonderland in my free time, so I was ready to tackle this one head-on. I was so excited because Alice in Wonderland is a movie including basically anything imaginable (and unimaginable), so I knew it would appeal to everyone.

To accompany the many scenes in the movie, the wall was completely filled with playing cards running rampant, huge chess pieces, roses, clocks of every shape and size, floating picture frames, free-spirited plates, scattered mirrors, singing flowers, Alice’s tree, her rabbit hole (and her feet?), and a gigantic keyhole. The participation for this theme was incredible with stylish interpretations of Alice, the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat, and playing cards themselves. I remember the intense planning for the wall and the impressively uncomfortable outfits that I witnessed to really capture the essence of the theme. I mean, what was not to love?

To wrap up my opinions on our Wall Day themes throughout the years, I felt that it was only appropriate to include a rating (discluding Mario since there was no wall):

1. Old Hollywood
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. Camelot
4. Star Wars
5. 70s

Which I guess means that (with one outlier), beauty comes with experience.