The Bowie Bulldog’s football season is in full swing, which means students get to show out for spirit days. Every game day, students and faculty are welcome to dress up according to themes created by the Bowie cheer team.
On Thursday, September 12, the ‘Dawgs faced Glenn High School in their home opener. The spirit day dress out theme was stars and stripes.
Senior Kamryn Gutshall likes to show Bowie spirit with her friends at school and in the student section.
“Stars and stripes is such a fun spirit day where I feel like everyone could dress up,” Gutshall said. “It’s as easy as wearing red white and blue which makes it very accessible for everyone.”
Along with dressing up to theme for games, students and staff are welcome to show spirit during the day at school. Most students saved their stars and stripes for the game.
“I think the seniors this year are doing good with dressing up, but the underclassmen never dress up enough,” Gutshall said. “I feel like they’re all too scared but I’ve been trying to encourage the ones I know to get involved so that dressing up doesn’t start dying out after the class of 2025 graduates.”
Stars and Stripes is one of many spirit day themes. Throughout the football season there is a new theme every week which include pink out, western, neon, and many more.
“My favorite theme is pink out just because pink is my favorite color and this year as a senior I get to wear the pink jersey,” Gutchall said.
Prior to the season beginning, the Bowie cheer team’s spirit coordinators create and plan spirit day themes. Junior and co-spirit coordinator Peyton York makes the spirit day themes with the help of her teammates and coaches.
“The process of what spirit days to do and when to do them usually is based off of what we think students at Bowie will enjoy and want to dress up for,” York said.
Spirit days are made to be a fun experience for all students to be able to do. All of the students dressed in a theme at the football games shows unity as well as excitement for the Bowie football team.
“I think one of the most important things about spirit days is to try to get as much involvement from the students,” York said. “I know not everyone is going to want to dress up but I think everyone should try to be open minded and have fun.”
York and her co-spirit coordinator Lillybelle Mosqueda work together to create spirit day themes. For York and Mosqueda, creating themes that students would enjoy is one of the most important factors in planning spirit days.
“I have received spirit day ideas from other students before and have proposed those ideas for possible approval when sending in all of the spirit day ideas,” York said. “Mr. Robinson is the final decision maker on what spirit days are approved or disapproved.”
Among students, teachers and faculty often dress up for spirit day. English teacher Jaqueline Gonzalez goes all out with the English department for every theme day.
“I think spirit day just shows unity and that people care,” Gonzalez said. “It’s kind of hard to see that sometimes when we all go to our classes and the doors are shut.”
Spirit days bring the student body together to support more than just the football teams. Some spirit day themes have a cause like the pink out game in support for breast cancer awareness.
“We’re one school that cares about a cause or cares about supporting one another,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez enjoys the benefit of themes like stars and stripes day because of the versatility. Students and staff can make the themes their own and find their own way to dress.
“I don’t always have the most patriotic things so sometimes I just go silly and wear actual stripes and star earrings or something like that,” Gonzalez said. “It’s fun and if it gets people kind of encouraged and inspired to support the school spirit stuff.”
As the season goes on, the Bowie community looks on to the next weeks of school spirit themes. The Bowie cheer team puts together a student loved lineup of fun themes like twin day and galaxy day.
“I love twin day, or, like, dynamic duo day, because Ms. McCaffrey and I have so many matching outfits,” Gonzalez said. “It’s kind of silly, but I would love any excuse to match or, like, have, like, a fun theme like that and that’s why the English department loves to dress up in that way.”
Some students have ideas of their own and requests for themes they want to see in the future. A few seniors wish to bring back spirit day themes from years prior, especially the ones that are more centered around seniors.
“I really want to bring back nerd day or senior day where you dress up as senior citizens,” Gutshall said. “These themes are so good and although I do like the ones we have now, I feel like we need some more humorous days because I love to dress up and look funny because it makes the days that much more fun.”
