The Spirit Day and ensuing Pep Rally, held yearly at H. Frank Carey High School, are notable events, and this year was no exception.

Spirit Day took off on a groovy step as both cafeterias were festooned with spectacular decorations by the class boards on each grade. This year, the theme for Spirit Day was "The Decades." Each grade within H. Frank Carey High School did a fabulous job of representing their designated decade. The junior year was awarded for the fourth year in a row for having the most creative decorations.

The Class of 2001 did a wonderful job of decorating their side of the cafeteria with memorabilia from the '70s. Among the most interesting of these decorations included posters of classic '70s-type movies, such as Boogie Nights and The Godfather, as well as records from Billy Joel, the Beatles, the Steve Miller Band and Elton John. The most observant spectators could also have glanced at memorable pictures of longtime veteran Carey teachers, such as Tony Torlincasi, Jim Van Tassell and Julie O'Keeffe. The award-winning Class of 2000 took us back to the rockin' '50s, proudly displaying a sign that read, "Rock 'n' Roll is Here to Stay." Pictures of long-forgotten juke boxes, balloons, soda pops and records brought back memories of a time when poodle skirts and leather jackets were the epitome of coolness. The Class of 1999 brought a sense of peace, love and rock 'n' roll into Carey as well with their theme of the '60s. Tie-dyed T-shirts, Woodstock memorabilia, flowers and signs proclaiming "Make Love, Not War" brought students back to a time that has created so much interest among following generations.

On the junior side of the cafeteria, the Classes of 2002 and 2003 took students way back to the decades of the '20s, and more recently, to the '80s. The Class of 2002 brought back an era of women's rights and difficult financial times with pictures depicting vibrant flappers proudly displaying their independence, as well as posters of the Black Market Day on Wall Street in 1929. The Class of 2003 revisited their childhood with decorations from the '80s. Pictures of the movie ET, stars, and streamers adorned an era not so log forgotten.

All in all, all the class boards within H. Frank Carey put forth a magnificent effort in re-creating forgotten decades in recent history. Once again, congratulations to the Class of 2000 for the fourth consecutive win on Spirit Day!

This year's Pep Rally was full of spirit and emotion. People from every grade had a way of showing their spirit, whether it was cheering for a friend, or sporting the school colors.

The marching band kicked off the Pep Rally with the National Anthem. They were accompanied by the color guard and the Pirettes with a wonderful visual show. Their medley of songs included Suddenly Seymour from the Little Shop of Horrors.

Later on, the president of the senior class, Kim Magnuson, thanked all of the sports teams and introduced, "the sophisticated man, Mr. Dolan," Carey's principal. Dressed up as the old Carey Seahawk, he listed off his top 10 reasons why he was dressed up as the mascot. Some of his funniest reasons included, "it would be the only chance to get to shake my tail feathers in public." He culminated his list by saying he'd be proud to be the mascot for the best high school, meaning Carey. Dolan commented on the Seahawk costume: "it's really hot in there." Later, Dolan showed off some of his dance moves while the Carey Pirettes performed. Soon after, the Carey sports teams were introduced, some of which included the boys varsity soccer and football teams.

The boys varsity soccer team is off to a great start, with an 8-0-2 record. Also, the varsity football team is in the right direction, coming off last year's playoff berth. The team is led by captain Andy Okolski, while Andrew Papadoniou and Mickey Parris are key defensive elements.

Crowd participation also was at a high, many of whom were standing up and cheering. Signs like "Dascole 4 President" and Dascole 4 Homecoming" adorned the bleachers to root for their friend, Jon Dascole, who is a member of the varsity football team. A mosh pit broke out in the middle of the bleachers. The outburst was immediately broken up by science teacher and student government advisor Carl Unger.

The Pep Rally achieved its goal in showing off school spirit. Hopefully in years to come, the Pep Rally will be just as successful as it was this year.