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S.O. treasurer Sahar Tartak shows off her final Unity Week outfit. (Credit: Ava Hoffman)

North High wrapped up its first Unity Week last Friday with Blazer Day and Quiz Bowl, just two of the many school spirit events that were held last week. Students and teachers showed off their school colors and apparel for Blazer Day, and Quiz Bowl featured an exciting academic battle of the grades.

“Blazer Day is the day we embrace the fact we are all Blazers and all a part of the same family,” sophomore secretary Dylan Moradof said.

Students and teachers across the building wore their school apparel, exhibiting their passion and support. A unified sense of school identity is crucial, especially now when the school is largely split because of hybrid and remote learning.

During third period, the school’s highly entertaining Quiz Bowl event had four students from each grade sitting at desks in the library with virtual buzzers on iPads in front of them. Live videos of the event were presented in every classroom for the student body and faculty to observe.

Due to COVID-19, setting up Quiz Bowl presented numerous challenges for teachers and the S.O.

“We couldn’t do most of the traditional events that characterize our usual spirit weeks such as Pep Rally and Pie Eating,” S.O. president Alexandra Ahdoot said. “Rather, we had to rely on videos and platforms such as social media, Google Forms and Zoom, which is frustrating.”

Despite the challenges of moving Quiz Bowl to a virtual interface, students and teachers still enjoyed the event.

“Quiz Bowl went well this year,” said Adelia DeRose, president of the junior class. “A lot of people enjoyed watching it.”

Students participating in Quiz Bowl also enjoyed the competition, which was once again dominated by senior Adam Sanders.

“It was great to have a traditional event, and it made it feel a little bit more like a normal year,” said Ari Lissack, a student on the senior team. “The whole experience was very smooth and well-planned out, and I give props to the teachers who organized it. I had a lot of fun and hope that next year the school can continue its Quiz Bowl tradition as normal.”

“It went pretty well,” said Maverick Williams, a student on the sophomore team. “I was aware of Adam’s history with Quiz Bowl and his incredible prowess, so I didn’t think that the sophomores would win, but I was hoping for second place so it went well.”

By the third and final round of the competition, the seniors finished in first place with 360 points, followed by the sophomores with 125 points, the juniors with 90 points and the freshmen with 45 points.

As for the overall results of Unity Week, juniors came in first, sophomores came in second, seniors came in third and the freshmen finished in last place.

“These kinds of events give students a break from the stresses of schoolwork and tests,” DeRose said. “It’s nice to have some fun things this year, even if it’s just dressing up.”

“Especially given that not everyone is physically together in school this year, it is super important that we find ways to maintain a sense of unity and community among our student body,” Ahdoot said. “Just as importantly, we’ve been working hard to discover new ways to have fun. Through Unity Week, I realized that even in unfavorable and unprecedented times, we can come together and cultivate an environment of positivity.”

“Despite all events having to be virtual this year, we think the events were a success,” said Mrs. Silk, the S.O. advisor. “We received a lot of positive feedback from students and staff. Many voiced that the events brought back some semblance of normalcy.”

Unity Week has a special place in the hearts of our students and was a fun way to finish off the first half of the school year before December break.