In an astounding turn of events, the end of the third day of Spirit Week 2018 found the sophomore, senior, and junior classes in a tight race for the coveted Mana Cup due to an unexpected upset during Wednesday’s main event: the Platform Jam.
For this competition, classes were given one minute to stuff as many students as they could onto a tiny platform only a few meters across, and then stay on that platform for another 30 seconds. This year, the juniors snagged first place by managing to stuff an astonishing 81 students on the platform. Tied for second place were the sophomores and the seventh grade, who packed 77 students on the platform, followed by the seniors and the eighth grade, who tied for fourth with 72 students. Finally, the freshman came in sixth place with a still respectable 68 students.
Because of this event, the sophomores replaced the seniors in first place with a cumulative total of 54 points, while the seniors followed closely behind with 52. In third place came the juniors, trailing the seniors by only six points for a total score of 46. In the meantime, the seventh and eighth grades are neck to neck, tied for fourth with 30 points, while the freshmen class rounded out the competitors with a total score of 11 points.
In past years, the older grades generally performed the best in this event, but this year the seniors were beaten by the juniors, the sophomores, and the seventh grade. However, this year’s senior class (the class of 2018), has had an unhappy relationship with this particular event the past couple years. According to senior class council social chair Jalen Sur in a recent adress to the senior class, this event has always been one of the grade’s worst performing events (with the class of 2018 barely missing first place back in Spirit Week 2016 due to a Platform Jam mishap). Meanwhile, the seventh grade, which has historically been one of the lowest placing grades in the Platform Jam, pulled together to accomplish one of the highest scoring performances ever in this event for their grade.
Also surprising was the degree of enthusiasm for Wednesday’s dress up theme: “I Woke Up Like This,” which saw students come to school in their bedroom attire while swaddled in fluffy blankets and an assortment of other pillows, cushions, and stuffed animals. In fact, the seniors, juniors, sophomores, eighth, and seventh grades all tied for first, each scoring 100% for costume participation, while the freshman class barely trailed behind with 97% participation.
However, these scores are by no means final, for there are still the two most important days to go in Spirit Week 2018, as the majority of the couple hundred points available are awarded on Thursday (Pepper Squad Day) and Friday (Black, Gold, and White Day).
Here are the current rankings as of Wednesday, January 10:
1st Place: Sophomores (54 Points)
2nd Place: Seniors (52 Points)
3rd Place: Juniors (48 Points)
4th Place: Seventh and Eighth Grade (tied, 30 Points)
6th Place: Freshmen (11 Points)
Featured Photographs for “I Woke Up Like This” Day:
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Photographs by Joel Lau (’18), Brant Yamamoto (’18), and TJ Halemano-Reed (’20)
