By Elsa Harvey
Spirit Week is an event to try and bring spirit into The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Held in the week leading up to Krash the Kress, a men’s basketball game with tailgating activities, the week features a variety of events and dress-up days.
The primary goal is to give the student body a sense of spirit and pride in their school. Maddie Wiles, the New Student Transitions & Family Engagement Manager, is the organizer of the event. The Student Engagement Center is the headquarters for all things Spirit Week.
“It’s easy to get swept up in classes and work, Spirit Week allows for us to engage with one another, have fun, and build comradery with our peers,” Wiles said. Throughout the week, there were many different activities to get students of all types to participate in. “We built programs and events that were for every type of student we serve: First-Year, Non-Traditional, First-Gen, Commuter, Live-In, and more. We tried to make something for everyone to feel inspired and excited for,” Wiles said.
Spirit week wasn’t just for the students but also an opportunity for different offices to decorate their doors and help with the school spirit. Throughout the week, there was a competition for door and car decoration. These contests aimed to engage commuter students and those living on campus alike.
Maddie Wiles Decorated Door for Spirit Week (Photo Credits: SEC Instagram)
“There has been a long tradition of the “Krash the Kress” event, which is a spirit-forward pre-celebration before one of our basketball games. Krash the Kress happens every semester, and I wanted to take it one step further than we’ve gone before,” Wiles said. All the Spirit Week events were a lead-up to a men’s basketball game, which was Krash the Kress. Traditionally, Krash the Kress is an opportunity for students to tailgate in one of the gyms and then be able to attend the game. Sam Schuller, a student who helped with planning the event as well as attended multiple events, said, “Since we don’t necessarily have a ‘homecoming,’ I thought Spirit Week was a great idea, and it really tied into Krash the Kress that occurred this past Friday before the men’s basketball game.”
Angela Ramos, Rebekah Hodkiewicz, Amanda Laurent, and Sam Schuller sporting Green Bay apparel at the Men’s Basketball Game.
The week also included dress-up days reminiscent of high school traditions. They ranged from Meme Day to Pajama Day and even a Midwestern Day. All to lead up to school colors on Friday, where students could show their school spirit.
Although this was a new event for UWGB, many seemed to enjoy the events. Karime Galaviz, UWGB’s Student Body President, said, “I think it was helpful in the sense that you had events to attend and fun things going on around the University throughout the week but also trying to bring back some spirit to the University and the Student Body.” Galaviz helped with planning the event Pie an Athlete. Where students could donate a dollar to the Student Government Association, and in return, they could throw a pie to an athlete of their choice.
Nathan Halbach of Swimming and Diving at Pie an Athlete (Photo Credits: Karime Galaviz)
“I think that Spirit Week did help with boosting school spirit at UWGB. Obviously, we can always hope for more school spirit, but for this year being the first Spirit Week ever, I think it was a success,” said Schuller. Spirit Week will return in the Spring during the first week of February.
Here is a link to this semester’s events of Spirit Week. Schedule for Spirit Week
