More than the first game of the season or the homecoming game, Hillcrest students look forward to the rivalry game against Mauldin. It’s an event that somehow fosters both camaraderie and hostility. These passionate emotions are no doubt partially brought on or at least intensified by Rivalry Week, which is organized by the Student Council. To find out more about what goes into the week, we talked to some Student Council members.
When it came to organizing special events, specifically the bonfire, which had safety risks because of the large open flame, Student Body Vice President Peyton Gurkin said, “We had to call the fire department and talk to the police to get everyone involved as well as teachers.” For theme days, she says, “We had to strategize as a team to decide what the dress-up days would be,”.
Grace Steele, the Social Media Manager, says planning rivalry week can be “crazy,” and, “hectic.” She also said, “We have the bonfire tonight, the pep rally tomorrow, and food trucks so it’s a lot of planning, but it’s all worth it.”
Story continues below advertisementFor many teachers, this might bring a sense of nostalgia for their high school rivalry games. When we asked Ms. Mandeville, a social studies teacher at Hillcrest and Student Council co-sponsor, what her favorite spirit week or football-related high school memory was, she stated, “My favorite memory is probably when we had a whiteout and a lot of people brought baby powder. We ended up covered in baby powder throughout the game, but it was so fun because we were all there together getting rowdy,”.
Rivalry Week ended with a satisfying 51-6 score in Hillcrest’s favor. But the joy and energy felt throughout the game started before kickoff. It was in part due to the theme days and special events that came in the days leading up to the game.
