The last week of November saw the Academy kick off its very first Spirit Week! For six unusual days the students were challenged to a wide array of creative activities designed to bring the community together and to inject the cold final days of the semester with a dollop of cheery craziness!

Monday Night’s weekly Academy Dinner was turned into a Mexican party, complete with colourful streamers, posters, a piñata, and lively Latin music.  Naturally the fare consisted of tacos and wraps. After dinner, those in attendance had a chance to swing at the piñata after correctly answering trivia questions about OLSWA or Mexico.  The candy came out with a triumphant smash from Prof. John Paul Meenan, and everyone scurried for the goodies scattered on the floor.

On Tuesday, the students let their artistic talents shine to the point of absurdity for “Crazy Hat Day.” That day also saw the kickoff of a whodunit murder mystery designed for the whole school by a number of volunteer students of a dramatic turn. The whodunit began with a skit played over lunch, introducing the students to a greasy hotel manager (third year student Michael Hayden) whom everyone around him seemed to want dead.

Wednesday morning the Whodunit continued with the news that the victim had been mysteriously killed in the night. The students were challenged to name the murderer by questioning the suspects from the skit and sorting out their evidence and alibis. Competition ran high as the various residences formed teams and raced to find clues while keeping their information from their opponents. At dinner the ladies of St. Catherine of Siena Residence were named the victors, and claimed the grand prize of ice cream courtesy of Dean of Students Miss Polic!

The week continued with plenty of fun. On Thursday OLSWA delved into the past with “Throwback Thursday.” Students were encouraged to wear clothing from a previous era. Costumes ranged from Medieval Scottish warrior attire to 1990s teen fashion. On Friday the students gathered to decorate a float for the town of Barry’s Bay’s annual Santa Claus parade which was to be held the next day. That evening they enjoyed an exciting school-wide dodge ball game. On Saturday Canadians faced off against Americans as light-hearted rivals in a turkey bowl. The parade came off well, with the OLSWA float featuring a living nativity scene and good St. Nicholas in his bishop’s garb. A number of students followed the float, singing carols all the way to the community Christmas party at the arena.

Spirit Week ended Saturday night, but the end of the week did not see an end of good spirits. The students’ minds are filled with thoughts of returning home for Christmas as they write their exams, but hopefully the joy of school spirit – and the Holy Spirit – will continue to see them through. Merry Christmas to all!