High school is an exciting time. Amidst the hours spent studying from your textbooks, perfecting your practice in your sport, or rehearsing for the school musical, there are many opportunities throughout the year for students to get involved in their school community. It can be an amazing sight to watch the whole student body come together for a single cause, whether it be anything from rooting for a home Hornets football win or raising thousands of dollars for pediatric cancer. FM has plenty of exciting traditions throughout the school year, starting from the first week students arrive at the high school, all the way through to the fleeting days of school before summer break. Allow me to walk you through some of FM’s favorite yearly traditions:

Link Crew:

Before the calendar school year even begins, upperclassmen will spend the last couple of days of their summers training for FM’s in-depth, exciting, freshmen orientation program known as “Link Crew.” Link Crew contains a group of junior and senior students who lead the freshmen through their first few days of high school, starting with “Link Crew Day” itself, the first day of school for freshmen only. Link Crew leaders will greet their freshmen in the morning, leading them through assemblies with Principal Kilmer, tours of the school, and engaging activities throughout the day. At the end of the first week of school, Link Leaders and the new freshmen have traditionally met for a Link Crew Dance in the school’s House 1 Gym, celebrating the start of a new school year!

Homecoming:

The football season is always an exciting time of year: the student section packed with students dressed in each game’s “spirit wear,” reciting chants and waving pom-poms as they root for FM’s team. Homecoming marks the peak of the football season and is undoubtedly the most anticipated football game of the year by the student body. Homecoming celebrations start with a “Battle of the Classes,” in which each grade congregates in the school’s gymnasium to engage in a series of field day-esque events, competing for that year’s title. The following day there is a pep rally event during the school day in which school music ensembles perform, sports captains are honored, and the school celebrates the week. Friday night’s tailgate is run by student-council on the tennis courts prior to the game with music, yard games, and refreshments. At halftime of the game, each class will march with homecoming floats which have been designed in the weeks leading up to the event in a competition to see which class has the best float. The day following the event, a homecoming dance is traditionally held in the House 1 Gym, finalizing the week-long celebration.

Spirit Weeks:

Speaking of homecoming, each year a spirit week is held throughout the week leading up to Friday night’s game. Each day of the week, students will dress up for school to match the theme of that day’s spirit. Some spirit theme examples include: beach day, class colors, jerseys, denim day, whiteout, twin day, and more. There are typically three spirit weeks hosted by the student council throughout the school year, leading up to homecoming, winter break, and Dance Marathon.

Pink Out:

Another exciting sports-related yearly event at FM is the school’s annual “Pink Out” basketball game. The Pink Out game serves as a fundraiser for cancer, with Pink Out t-shirts sold in the foyer in the weeks leading up to the game. Players from the boys’ and girls’ teams will wear special warmups with the names of people who have been affected by cancer that they wish to dedicate their game to. It is a game with a worthy cause that always has a great turnout by students.

Dance Marathon:

The school’s Dance Marathon fundraiser for pediatric cancer is undoubtedly one of the school’s most admired events among students and is held annually in March. A group of 14 senior students are chosen in the fall to lead fundraisers and events leading up to the event in March and perform at the kickoff assembly in January each year, highlighted by an intricate, exciting dance, and the annual “MC Movie.” The fundraiser event itself in March has traditionally been a 12-hour event running from noon to midnight, with the big check reveal at the end of the night revealing how much money was raised for Camp Good Days, a camp which benefits youth who have been impacted by cancer. The event involves dancing, games, karaoke, and other exciting, engaging, activities, with the annual fundraising goal tending to be $100,000. Dance Marathon is a high-energy, exciting, event in March that culminates months worth of fundraising for a great cause.

Yearbook Distribution Day:

Rounding out the year, typically within the last couple weeks of school, is yearbook distribution day. Yearbook distribution day is a school-wide celebration assembly, in which retiring teachers are honored, student-awards are presented, music ensembles perform, and yearbooks are distributed to students who purchased them, to then be signed and shared with classmates. This school-wide celebration is a sweet, exciting way to wrap up the school year with classmates.

There are a variety of other traditions throughout the school year including the ABC Dance, the Every 15 Minutes demonstration, Pi Day, and more, all which provide additional exciting opportunities for students to get involved in their school community. Regardless of your interests, these traditions are enjoyable experiences to meet new people and take a break from the hustle of schoolwork and extracurricular activities. With many of these events just making their return to the school community after the effects of the pandemic the last couple years, this year will surely make for an exciting year of annual traditions and exciting events at FM!