Animals, Aliens, and Cans, Oh My!

Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School had quite the week before Thanksgiving. Beginning the school’s annual can drive, the classes soon became competitive, challenging each other to bring in the most cans. The stakes were made higher by a promise from Principal John Gould to shave his head if the school was able to bring in 10,000 cans. Student body president and vice president Owen Arden and Matthew McNaughton also agreed to have their hair cut if the school could raise 8,000 and 9,000 cans. The pair even prepared to sell raffle tickets to decide who would have the honor of cutting their hair.

Although the juniors had a strong showing the first day, the seniors finished strong, breaking the record for the number of cans brought in by a single class. The seniors brought in an impressive 4,400 cans, contributing to the school’s total of 9,300 cans.

November 17th, the following saturday, volunteers from the school community worked with student government to sort and deliver the thousands of cans to the Rehoboth food pantry, Dighton food pantry, and local families in need.

Ringing in Spirit Week, students also participated in a number of dress up days. The first day was pajama day, a chance for students to cozy up and wear their best pjs to school. The following day was Safari Day, with teachers and students alike dressing as both explorers and safari animals. Next was Outer Space Day, the halls quickly filling with aliens and astronauts.

Per tradition, the final two days were decked out in green and gold. On Wednesday, seniors wore green and underclassmen wore gold to commemorate the seniors’ final Spirit Week. Wednesday also happened to be a rally day for students, a chance to engage in friendly competition and take a break from the usual school day.

Entering the gymnasium Wednesday morning, students and faculty found the space plastered in posters and streamers, an indicator of what was to come. D-R’s cheerleading team officially began the event, followed by the first round of the annual tug-of-war tournament.

From that point forward, the day seemed to fly by. Students participated in events such as tug-of-war and limbo, and chants rang out in the crowded gym, an addition to the contagious energy of the room. This energy increased tenfold when faculty members announced a point deduction for any grade that demonstrated poor sportsmanship.

“Could you please deduct 300 points from the juniors?” said D-R science teacher and Spirit Week Committee Advisor Diana Hopkins, inciting further cheers from seniors, who are notorious Spirit Week rivals with the juniors.

During a brief intermission, a group of students danced, drummed, sang, and played guitar and piano. Lights were dimmed to reveal glow paint and strobe lights, completing the performance.

Shortly afterward, the Dighton Rehoboth Marching Band performed their halftime show, The Greatest Showman. The band followed the performance with the playing of the band’s signature song, “Corrado,” and the school’s fight song, “Notre Dame.”

At the conclusion of the performance, Dean of Activities and Athletics called fall sport athletes to the gym floor, praising their dedication before handing the mic to D-R Football coach David Moura. Moura took the opportunity to excite the crowd about the team’s opportunity to play at Gillette Stadium on November 30th.

Bringing the rally to an end, student body president Owen Arden announced the winners of Spirit Week. Despite impressive gains from underclassmen, seniors dominated with 7,382 Spirit Week points. Arden also announced some long awaited news regarding the can drive––because the school had raised over 9,000 cans, both Arden and McNaughton were ready to have their heads shaved.

The pair first took turns selecting from the hair-cutting raffle. Senior Calvin Reddington was selected to cut McNaughton’s hair, while senior Mason Cadorette was selected to cut Arden’s hair. True to their word, Arden and McNaughton sat patiently as the newly appointed hairdressers buzzed their hair to the sounds of uproarious cheering and applause.
Following the exciting haircuts, students were wished a happy Thanksgiving and dismissed.

For seniors, this year’s Spirit Week was certainly bittersweet, a reminder that their high school chapter is quickly coming to a close. Still, the week was an opportunity for seniors to shine, upping the expectations for next year’s graduating class.

After much anticipation, Spirit Week was a successful one, a reminder of the Dighton-Rehoboth community and the importance of giving back to it. Certainly, both the number of cans raised and the enthusiasm from the entire school are representative of the school spirit found at D-R.