The month of March seems to be the biggest burden on students because there are no breaks or holidays for students to take time and relax. There is six full weeks of school where the only glimmer of hope is spring break.
This school is known for being highly academic with mass amounts of rigorous AP classes, SAT and ACT prep course which leads to stress put on the students. Parents and students have complained that there is no rest for high school student so the Wellness Committee has decided to try to change the vibe here.
The Wellness Committee has tried to create outlets to stressed students and find ways to alleviate the hardship of being in high school. They have requested outdoor lunches and honored homerooms with the Sources of Strength activities to help students de-stress. They are now weeks in to “Theme Thursdays,” which is a five-week activity where every Thursday there is a new theme leading up to the Sam Williams 5K run. “March is hard and long and we wanted to create some fun escapes to break up the month. We chose this so that students have something to look forward to during the week,” sophomore administrator and head of the Wellness Committee Crystal Dovman said.
The theme days include neon day on March 2, formal day on March 9, jersey day on March 16, track and workout attire day on March 23 and twin day on March 30. The Wellness Committee partnered with SGA to spread the word about Theme Thursdays through the morning announcement videos and flyers all around the school. “We tried our best to get the word around about this, now it’s the job of the students to be aware and participate,” Dovman said.
For each Theme Thursday, there is a raffle at lunch where students participating in the themes can enter raffle tickets to win various prizes.
Only a few people seem to be showing their spirit. Students feel that the themes are overused and they don’t truly understand what the purpose of these days are. “I think they’re fun and I like to take part in spirit days, but I feel like the majority of Wootton had no idea this was a thing and why this was happening and so that’s why there aren’t that many participants in Theme Thursdays,” senior Roma Venkateswaran said.
Students are crammed with schoolwork and don’t feel like there is enough time in their hectic schedules to try to have fun. “With AP classes and hours of homework, I am barely able to plan out my outfit for the next day, I would definitely not have enough time to plan a whole theme day outfit,” senior Jackie Barnett said.
Whether through impromptu spirit days or support at football games, students feel that this school lacks enthusiasm. “Wootton just needs more spirit, that’s all I will say about that,” freshman Francis Meyer said.

Haley Zmuda
Staff Writer