On Costume Day during our Middle and High School Spirit Week, our Middle School Principal, Lucy, and I decided to get in on the fun. Lucy came as Professor McGonagall and I came as Albus Dumbledore, and we stood at the main entrance to campus to welcome everyone as they arrived. Since we’re downtown, most of our students walk to school and the rest come by bus or car, so we had surprised faces coming at us from every direction. Some students grinned as soon as they recognized us, others had to look twice to be sure, and plenty of parents laughed, waved or pulled out their phones to take a picture. It was a great way to start the day.
Lucy’s husband had some fun of his own and used AI to turn a few seconds of us waving our wands on campus into a full-blown wizard duel, complete with fiery phoenixes, lightning and magical shields. I can neither confirm nor deny that this actually happened at the front gate, but either way it made us laugh, and I think it captures how the day felt.
What stood out most was how much fun it was. Students had clearly put a lot of thought and creativity into their costumes, and the whole school felt a little lighter for the day. There was more laughing, more talking and a lot of “Who are you supposed to be?” Students who usually just give me a quick hello in the hallway stopped to check out my robes, show off their own costumes or tell me which character they would have picked for me instead. For one day, we were all just having fun together.
School keeps everyone busy. Our students are working hard on assignments, exams and university applications, and our teachers are working just as hard right alongside them. With so much going on, it’s easy to treat fun as something we only get to once everything else is done. I don’t see it that way. Kids do better when they feel like they belong, when they know the adults around them, and when school is a place they actually want to be. Laughing together and being a little silly together helps make that happen.
That’s why I think it’s important for the adults to join in. When students see their teachers and principals dressing up and playing along instead of standing off to the side, it shows them we’re all part of the same community. And honestly, it was just as much fun for us as it was for them. I’ve been doing this a long time, and a lot of what students remember years later isn’t a particular lesson or test. It’s the day a teacher surprised them or made them laugh.
The robes and beard are put away now, but I hope the good feeling from that day sticks around for a while. School should be a place where students work hard and grow, and it should also be a place where they can laugh and enjoy being together. Thank you to every student, teacher and parent who joined in and made Spirit Week so much fun. I’m already wondering what we’ll come up with next year.
