The long awaited Spirit Week arrived, and Notre Dame students walked onto campus excited to take a break from uniforms and eager to see what fun activities were coming their way.
They participated in field games against their fellow graduating classes, enjoyed the rally that got everyone hyped up for the Homecoming game, raced their friends in bouncy house obstacle courses, indulged in sweet treat from Kona Ice, and so much more.
Our school events have always been successful and enjoyable for everyone, but as students, we’ve never seen what goes into actually planning these activities.
Of course creating these events is time consuming, especially when you also have assignments and other extracurriculars on your plate.
So, how does ASB juggle it all?
Surely, their schedule must be packed. A majority of them must have to endure the stress of finishing assignments, studying for tests, going to practices, and planning upcoming events. Do they ever experience burnout?
Dautry Berchtold-Karakasidis ‘25, one of the varsity volleyball captains and Spirit Commissioner for ASB, said, “It’s very hard to balance everything, and I have experienced burn out a few times this year. But I balance and juggle all of this (especially ASB) by making to-do lists, blocking out my day to give enough time to relax each night.”
Spirit Week is one of Notre Dame’s most important events of the school year. It takes weeks, maybe even months of planning in advance. Imagine not only the time, but how much work was put into making that week so successful.
ASB member Emily Traboulsi ‘25 said that every event starts with a theme. ASB spends lots of their time brainstorming ideas for a perfect theme that everyone will enjoy.
She mentioned that they break up into different committees in order to attack the event smoothly and efficiently. They put tons of effort into making posters, decorating the school, rehearsing for the rallies, and setting up for football games and dances.
It’s staggering how much of their time they sacrifice to make each event perfect. They spend long nights preparing for next-day rallies, they show up hours before football games and dances, and even come back to school the morning after Homecoming to clean up.
Clearly, ASB has done so much to make our school experience enjoyable as students. We are given the opportunity to participate in these activities, but don’t seem to acknowledge the people who put their time and effort into making them.
How can we show our appreciation to ASB more?
Traboulsi said, “It would be amazing if everyone would follow the ASB Instagram account and share our posts! We are always open and asking for any comments or suggestions that students have for us. Our ultimate goal has been to make sure that our school spirit is the best it can be.”
Being part of ASB is an amazing opportunity, not only for college applications, but for school and self improvement. It helps you develop leadership skills, connect with others, and make a positive impact on our school community.
So, if you’re willing to take on the challenge, consider joining ASB. You’ll learn important life skills, increase school spirit and improvement, and make lifelong memories and friendships.
