Aerin Johnson
Editor-in-Chief
WGHS football will play this year’s Turkey Day Game at Kirkwood’s Lyon Field at noon.
Turkey Day is celebrated in multitude ways besides the game including the Friendship Dance, ChiliFest and Spirit Week at the schools in both districts.
The Friendship Dance, Nov. 2, was at WGHS this year. The King of the Friendship Dance was Senior DJ Johnson, and the Queen was Senior Lonita Benson, who both represented football.
The dance began as way for WGHS and KHS to get along after an organized “gang fight” between the two schools in 1938.
The 16th annual ChiliFest will be Nov. 27, in the PV Commons. Restaurants and amateurs from around the Webster Groves community compete against each other.
People attending ChiliFest vote on which chili they like best in each category. The chili which wins goes up against the winner from Kirkwood’s Chili Bowl Cook-Off. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students.
Last year over 600 people attended ChiliFest. The money raised helps the Parents Club give educational grants to teachers and scholarships to students, and helps them host the end of the year Graduation Party.
“It’s a great time to get together, savor some good food, celebrate our community and our high school, and begin the holiday season together. It is generally such a positive, happy atmosphere for everyone, and I know a lot of us look forward to it every year,” said Carrie Rao, ChiliFest committee chair.
After ChiliFest, there is a community pep rally in the auditorium and a bonfire at Moss Field.
Spirit Week takes place the week of the Turkey Day game. During the week there are Theme Day, Tacky Day and Spirit Day. The theme for this year’s Spirit Week is decades. The theme is decided by the Student Council (STUCO) over the summer.
Lauren Newsome, STUCO president, said it decided on this year’s theme, decades, as this year was the 75th anniversary of the Friendship Dance. Seniors are dressing up in 80s clothing; juniors are in 70s clothing; sophomores are dressing up in clothes from the 20s; freshmen are dressing in 50s clothing.
Students help to make different decorations based on the decade for their class.
“It’s amazing to see the school come together,” Newsome said.
Spirit Week also has competition between classes to see which class is the most spirited.
“Seniors (are going to win), of course!” Newsome said.
On Tacky Day students dress up in Kirkwood’s colors of red and white.
On Spirit Day, students will dress from head to toe in black and orange to support their home team of WGHS. The same day, at the Pep Assembly the seniors will perform the Senior Line Dance will be in the gym.
Senior Line Dance this year was choreographed by Symone Palmer, senior. She said the line dance is planned by four to five seniors every year. They choose several songs and then make dances to go with those songs.
Palmer said she enjoyed choreographing because she was not only getting to express herself, but her class as well.
Tickets for the Turkey Day game are $7 in advance and $10 at the game.
