Mr. Davis weighs in on the importance of school spirit events

Spirit Week is a prime example of East spirit. The activities during this week would not have been possible without one of East’s activities directors, Mr. Charles Davis.

Along with directing the activities throughout the school year, Davis is also in his 21st year of teaching Financial Literacy at East. Although he is a teacher at East today, just 31 years ago, he attended the school as a student, having a special connection to East history.

While being East’s activities director, Davis has administered numerous events that have become East traditions. The Spirit Week Dance is one of them.

“One class would perform, and everyone would stand around in a semi circle around them- that was the origin of the Spirit Week Dance,” Davis said.

He said that the Spirit Week Dance was originally a school dance for all classes, with a competition between grade levels occurring the same night. At the end of the night, parents and students would watch these performances together. Towards the beginning of his role as an activities coordinator, Davis split this combined dance into two separate events: the Homecoming Dance and the Spirit Week Dance Competition. Now, these two events are some of the highlights of the school year.

Along with Spirit Week, Davis has emphasized wanting to “give back” while having fun. Since then, he has implemented a fundraiser each year during Spirit Week. This year, classes participated in a dress-up day for Alex Lemonade’s Stand with the proceeds of the purchased shirts donated to the organization while also competing all week to collect the most canned goods for the community food drive. Classes earn Spirit Week points while giving back to the community.

Davis manages the Spirit Week activities and additional events throughout the school year to provide students with a memorable high school experience.

Although he lays the opportunities for students to get involved, he stresses the importance of students doing their own part of participating. From his experience, these events play a significant role in establishing an exciting school atmosphere and improving students’ well-being throughout their high school career overall.

Davis encourages all students to engage in student activities during the school year. “You make your high school experience what you want it to be,” said Davis.