When asked to think about Spirit week, most students see images of blow up Kool-Aid costumes, pie eating contests, and pep rally chants. One bit of Spirit Week seems to always fly under the radar: the fundraising and donations that make a bigger impact than students realize.
Each year, ELHS selects a different, local organization to represent for Cause Day. Cause Day creates community within the school by students and staff collectively representing a cause found to be significant and necessary to support.
“We do a local one so it’s more impactful. Our money isn’t going to make a huge difference in a giant organization, but it’ll make a big difference to something local to East Lyme or even Connecticut,” full senate co-advisor Mary Jennings said.
This year, the Senate collectively decided on supporting the Blue Door Foundation which loans gently used medical equipment to people in need. ELHS ended up raising over $3,000 for Blue Door through t-shirt proceeds and the money drive.
The organization began in downtown Niantic by Rena and Gerry Powers. Communities all over the world face adversity while acquiring necessary medical resources. According to NBC Connecticut, as of September 2024, 13 percent of Connecticut households can’t afford their healthcare costs.
“A lot of people don’t have insurance and they’re not capable of paying for these things. This allows them access what
they need,” Full Senate co-advisor Stephanie Jenkins said.
Cause Day also introduces the importance of volunteering which allows students to gain perspective for those in situations that may be more challenging than their own. The day also helps represent local businesses that always appreciate voluntary support.
“When you think about what you’re doing and how you’re helping people, it makes you feel good,” full senate president Dalynn Jackson said.
In addition to Cause Day, ELHS has been supporting Care & Share since the beginning of the Spirit Week tradition through the food drive. Care & Share primarily helps provide food and financial support to individuals and families local to East Lyme, Niantic, and Salem, while also providing child care assistance, home heating fuel, and depending
on the season, holiday support.
Every year, each class has a bin dedicated to their non-perishable food donations. Care & Share donations pile up throughout the week and are eventually counted towards each class’ final score.
“There’s a lot of families that [struggle],probably a lot more than you would think,” Ms. Jennings said.
The camaraderie of the week also leaves students with a better understanding of the sense of community.
“Sometimes you’ll have 70 kids show up to commons decorating that don’t know each other that well and they’re working on this one thing for three hours. It’s a really good way for people to communicate and get to know each other,” Jackson said.
Spirit Week is a tradition that many East Lymers cherish and look forward to. It supports local businesses and organizations, allows for opportunities to meet new people, and recognizes community within East Lyme.
