By Ryan Thompson

The second senior week for the class of 2009 boasted creative titles, hilarious outfits, and memorable moments. The dress-up days took place the week of April 20-24 with Grad Nite on the 25^th and 26^th. The dress-up days each gained its own personality throughout the week and will be treated just the same.

The first day, Old School day marked ambiguity that the seniors used to their advantage. Some used the pun of “old school” to dress up as if they went to their old schools. The seniors wore various shirts from their middle and elementary school, Jason Foskey and Kane Smith dressing up as safety patrols. Other students took another take on the day, Selina Patel and Madison Cassidey wore matching Pokémon shirts with short white socks with lace. These styles easily mark old school fashion trends that are simply not in style of the average high school student. On that day, I wore a tie dye shirt, but I was out of place. While that was appropriate for Blast to the Past Day that took place at the first senior week in Oct., it simply did not fall in place with the stream of elementary school students that strutted down the hallways. Luckily, I had a jacket that day.

The next day, Hillbilly Day, allowed the senior to break out their flannel, easily matching their Best Dressed pick, Will Rutt for a day. Some students wore overalls, while others just went with a flannel shirt. Luckily many stayed away camo, as camo is not hillbilly, but appropriate for Camo Day, which we had as a Homecoming dress-up day. Nothing too out of the ordinary for Hillbilly Day, but it seemed as though everyone had fun in their attire. Emily Talpalar even sported a flannel dress for the day.

The third day, Neon Day, allowed the school to turn highlighter yellow for the day. I am most certain that you could see MHS from outer space that day. While some students bought or designed shirts with neon greens, pinks, and yellows, some students, like Amy Opara wore bright yellow pants with a vibrant shirt. Austin Devlin decided to wear bright board shorts with a lime green headband to support the Neon Army created by the seniors that day.

“Neon Day’s easy because everyone just wears a bright shirt,” Emily Manning said.

That day, I chose to participate, wearing one of my bright green shirts form my summer swim team. I fit in perfectly with all the brightness happening in my classrooms.

Pirate Day, the most awaited day of the week, turned the school into a pirate ship, and the senior class, its crew. Jenna Harbin received praise for dressing up as Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. While some students dressed up as pirates, other students found different ways to express their spirit. Christine Bach dressed up as a baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Stephen DeAngelo dressed up as a parrot, closely resembling Iago from Aladdin, and sat upon Joseph Babadi’s shoulder for photo ops in the parking lot. On that day, I tried to be alternative and made a shirt with a popular quote form the third Pirates of the Caribbean film. Unfortunately, only three people understood what it meant, and the rest of my friends kept asking what it meant.

The week culminated with College Day and Senior Karaoke at the Senior Breakfast, but I didn’t see anyone eating. Seniors got together and snapped pictures with their friends, with friends going to other schools, and with everyone they know going to the same school. While Jonathan Shoemake, Amy Opara, and Armani Davis danced and sang to “Single Ladies,” Harbin and Taylor Carter danced to their favorite Hannah Montana song. Jennifer Blalock, Jade Hilliard, and Mary Hertz sang Wannabe by the Spice Girls. After that, Chris Hall took over the floor, dressed in his University of North Dakota gear, and the singing floor turned into a dance floor. No one dressed up as their school’s mascot, but the seniors danced away with their friends and collectively sang to songs such as “Love Story,” “Don’t Stop Believing,” and “Gasolina.” That day, I wore my shirt that had a large NF on it for UNF and fit in quite fine, besides those who ask if I was going to Yankees University. What can I say? My class has their jokes.

Overall, this year’s second senior week was a huge success. In retrospect, the week was a lot more fun and spirit filled and everyone enjoyed the dress-up days. Although the week came and went, the senior class will remember the times they had during the year as the pictures are uploaded on Facebook and being commented and liked as the year sees its end.