Catholic Schools Week started off with a substantial amount of school spirit with red and white flooding the halls on Monday, Jan. 30. Students were notified about the different dress up days and activities throughout the week thanks to the Student Council. In the morning, the Haben center was packed full of students anticipating this year’s annual pep fest hosted by several members of Student Council.

The short hour of festivities consisted of antics and games relating to BSM’s Catholic identity and concluded with a performance by the Red Kittens. Thanks to senior Carston Swenson and junior Eric Weber leading the crowd, everything ran smoothly. “We were supposed to have Carston and Billy perform, but Billy got sick at the last minute and we had to change it up,” Student Council member Mackenzie Dunleavy said.

For the second day of Catholic Schools Week, students dressed in their pajamas. Additionally, BSM students brought out doughnuts to parents dropping off their children in the morning in order to thank them for everything they do. This dress up day was particularly popular, and there were a wide variety of different looks displayed: some basic plaid cotton pants, sweatshirts and sweatpants, slippers, robes, and even a Chewbacca suit. “Pajama day is my favorite dress-up day because you have an excuse to wear your pajamas to school,” senior Ali Wahlquist said.

For Wednesday, the Student Council chose to throw it back to the 80s and made the decision that students should dress in all denim. The process of choosing the dress-up themes takes place in the Student Council homeroom prior to Catholic Schools Week. “In homeroom, we all just went around and said ideas and voted on which ones were the most popular,” Dunleavy said.

Other festive events took place including Mass, where BSM’s new president introduced himself, and an annual meeting where the senior class receives new privileges during the second semester. Thanks to Campus Ministry, there were cookies and hot chocolate for the students as a way of giving back. “It’s just a little way to say thank you for being great kids here at BSM and always having great spirit,” Ms. Becca Meagher said. 

Catholic Schools week ended on Thursday with a tropical dress up day and a brief concert by the band Sidewalk Chalk from Chicago. In the Great Hall, students crowded the front of the band’s stage in their Hawaiian shirts and straw hats and listened to the group’s unique songs that crossed the genres of hip-hop, jazz, and soul. Many of the songs focused on faith and justice, and the members of Sidewalk Chalk spoke with various religious classes throughout the day.