Spirit Week Committee Co-Chair Kaleigh Duncan dressed up as Sully from Monsters, Inc. this Monday, while SGA Sponsor Mr. Cody Martin sported a dark onesie choosing to portray Darth Vader.

These outfits are not spontaneous endeavors; instead, they are a part of Bearden’s Spirit Week.

Duncan and Mr. Martin were participating in Monday’s Disney day, and Tuesday was class colors day. Bearden students and faculty members still have three more opportunities to dress in theme – and earn points for their grade.

Unlike previous years, this year’s spirit week will feature a competitive element between graduating classes. Students will receive points for their grade by dressing up for each day.

The grade who has the most points on Friday receives the spirit bone – an award that was used during Mr. Martin’s time at Bearden. This prize is a dog bone decorated with maroon lettering and streamers.

Mr. Martin hopes to get a trophy that will recognize which class wins the spirit bone each year.

The remaining dress-up days are UT day (Wednesday), generation day (Thursday), and maroon and grey day (Friday). For generation day, Freshmen are supposed to dress up as babies, sophomores as college students, juniors as parents, and seniors as grandparents.

“I think the new points system will encourage students that are competitive to do more,” SGA Advisor Mrs. Rachel Harmon said.

To receive these points for their grade, students must check in with the Spirit Week table during lunch. More points can be earned through events such as voting for class windows, powder puff football, and which class is voted as having the best T-shirt designs.

Each event’s point value is determined by the overall weight of the competition during Spirit Week. For example, powder puff is weighted with greater point values than the T-shirt competition.

“We are starting a point system this year so each event and each day of the week will have a certain amount of points associated with it,” Duncan said. “Each grade can get either first, second, third, or fourth.

“I think that it will increase school spirit because then there will actually be an incentive to be able to do it.”

Throwing it back 16 years ago to 2000-2004, Mr. Martin was a high school student at Bearden. He wants to bring back the old traditions he was accustomed to in his younger days.

During his time at Bearden, Spirit Week used to have events that took place the whole week. Spirit Night on Tuesday will try to recapture some of that excitement through the new 4×100 relay race and a return of last year’s popular rib-eating contest.

The relay race competitors for each class will be chosen based on a first come, first serve basis. Each team will consist of two boys and two girls.

“Bringing that [the relay race] back and adding more events I think makes it more fun,” Martin said.