Three metaphorical silver medals later, I can confidently say that I will spend the rest of my life chasing the thrill of Marlborough Spirit Week. It’s been nothing short of a wild ride, and I am grateful to every single member of this community for making this insane tradition possible. For those who don’t know, I am always very heavily involved in the Spirit Week dance process. I came to power nobly as eighth grade Arts Representative, and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. If you can find the Class of 2026’s “Dance Moms” themed Spirit Week dance from 2022, you would be astounded at just how far we have come. In the years since, I have watched Spirit Week unite my grade in ways I never thought possible. There is truly nothing as empowering and fulfilling as performing on the gym floor with the smartest and most talented people I know. When choreographing our final Spirit Week dance, the question of legacy came up. What do we want to leave behind? How do we want to be remembered?
Spirit Week 2026 certainly created a legacy. The dances this year—across the board—were the best I’ve seen during my time at Marlborough. I distinctly remember watching the middle school dances with tears in my eyes because I was so astounded by how good they were. Even though I won’t be here to witness the Spirit Weeks of the future, I have some things that I want to see more of in the coming years.
Number 1: singing. I have to shout out the seniors first. Spirit Week might be a dance competition, but I think there is always room to include the various talents of the class. This doesn’t have to be through a solo singer (not everyone can be Emily OckoMichalak). I think having the whole grade sing certain lyrics can add great verbal emphasis to a dramatic moment.
Number 2: really niche themes. We were all obsessed with the freshmen’s “Descendents” themed dance. I think it is so impressive to successfully execute a really specific theme as opposed to something more vague.
Some ideas that I never got to use that you can take inspiration from are Mr. Clean, “The Hunger Games,” Marlborough (really meta), “Glee,” Halloween (and you all wear different costumes) and artists (you guys make an actual painting during your dance). Finally—this is my dream—a “High School Musical” wildcats themed dance with actual basketballs. We perform on a basketball court for a reason. Watch a YouTube video of “Get’cha Head in the Game” and tell me it’s not the greatest thing you’ve ever seen. If anyone does this, I promise I will come back from college to watch it happen.
Number 3: innovation. Every day I am blown away by how talented the Marlborough robotics teams are. I have yet to see someone include a robot solo in their Spirit Week dance, and I feel like we have to take advantage of this opportunity. In an ever adapting world of technology, we have to step up our game.
I hope these ideas provide a fraction of the inspiration that I gained from the Spirit Week dances this year. The kids truly will be alright. Cherish these moments of dancing together. I look back on the dance practices, pep talks and performances as my fondest memories at Marlborough.
