On February 2nd, the teachers of Juniata Valley School District began their Underground Spirit Week. They participated in and helped create the Spirit Week to raise money for CHAMP, a local fundraiser on Feb. 27th. CHAMP is a non-profit organization that raises money to help local families. It is student-led and dedicated to helping people and families fight life-impairing conditions. The CHAMP organization has helped over 120 families and raised $1,000,000, with over 5,000 student participants. The teachers paid a dollar a day to dress up, totalling $5 for many for the week, with many teachers paying above this amount to support a great cause.

The first dress-down day, the theme was Sweats Day. The JV staff dressed in their sweatpants and sweatshirts, giving them a relaxing start to the week. Peg Vlasak, an English teacher at Juniata Valley, said that in the past, during Spirit Days, sometimes the main difficulty for the Spirit Week was “getting everyone to participate.” She claimed the reason for this was that “The faculty might not understand what the trend is, or they just might not have the time and money to invest into creating that look.” Due to this issue, the Sweats day theme allowed everyone to be involved without too much planning.

Tuesday was Twin Day at the high school and the elementary school, where teachers were encouraged to pair up and dress alike. Wednesday, Flannel Day, was many of the participants’ favorite themes. Lori Norris, the elementary library teacher, said that, like many others, Flannel Day was her favorite. She claimed that she enjoyed “listening to the students try to figure out what [was] going on.”

Thursday’s theme gave the JV students a challenge; each department had its own theme that they followed. The English department decided to wear all black, to “[go] for an Edgar Allen Poe vibe,” claimed Vlasak. The Math department went with a common Juniata Valley theme, camo. One math teacher, Paula Rodkey, said that the Department Day was her personal favorite due to the ability to “collaborate with the other math teachers.” Rodkey also stated that the theme days helped boost student and teacher morale because “It's so nice to look forward to different events at the school.” The science department in the high school theme was heavily influenced by the subject they taught. Each science teacher donned a lab coat over their everyday clothes, confusing many students who were unaware of the “lab” the lab coats typically foreshadow.

For the final day of the Spirit Week, the teachers were asked to dress like their favorite sports team. Many teachers decided to wear the jersey or other sports apparel of the team they hoped would win the Super Bowl.

While students were unable to participate in dressing up for the themes, they still found the event amusing. One JV high school student, Kelsi Riling, stated that she “always notices what the teachers wear and looks forward to seeing what the theme is for each day.” The Underground Spirit Week was originally formed to raise money for CHAMP, but it also helped create a sense of community across the schools. Rodkey was able to bear witness to their occurrence and claimed that “everyone can get on board with helping our neighbors in the community who need support and encouragement.” Juniata Valley Vice Principal, Jennifer Murray, concurred with Rodkey by saying, “Supporting a cause such as CHAMP on a district level helps to pull everyone together for a common goal.” The JV community has been thriving as it prepares for CHAMP, and the Underground Spirit Week has become an irreplaceable part of it.