My three children have participated in exactly two school spirit days. One in 2010 and the other in 2013 the years of the Blackhawk’s Stanley Cup Championships.   School Spirit Day; a day designed to generate a sense of solidarity and camaraderie fails miserably in my house.   If you have kids who are self-conscious (who doesn’t?) and who often don’t feel a part of the group (sound familiar?) and are afraid to make a mistake and seem silly or awkward around their peers (check) then asking kids to wear a certain color, or celebrate a certain theme can bring about anxiety that simply is not worth participation in school spirit day.  I ignore the Spirit Day emails and no longer remind the kids of the opportunity to have some fun with peers in this way.  I never thought they would be interested today’s School Spirit Day~as explained in school’s email that read:

Tomorrow is Rosh Chodesh Adar I, and its time to have our first spirit day!!!  A group of very ambitious 8th graders have been working to develop a student advisory board and one of their goals is to foster greater school spirit. They’d love for you to support this by spreading the word to your children!  Tomorrow come dressed as your “REAL SELF”  WHY? During Adar II we celebrate Purim, we dress up in masks and costumes to hide ourselves. So, for Adar I they want us to dress up in our real self.

Real Self Day? My kids would want to do this even less than wear their favorite sports team clothing!   My kids would never buy this one.  So I thought.  Yesterday, as the kids got into the car after school, my 12-year-old was the first one to bring up what she would be wearing for school spirit day.  “Your participating?” I asked.  “Yes!” she said.  She had her outfit planned.  She was going to wear a reflection of herself and what she liked most.  She could be HERSELF for the day.  This morning she went to school wearing her favorite camp sweatpants, advertising a camp that no one else in her class attends and is a place where she finds comfort and a sense of self.  Camp means the world to her and she wants share that with her school!  She put her headphones around her neck, her hoodie on, etc.  My younger daughter spent hours choosing and even sewing her outfit last night so people could see her “real self” and my son… my son, even he spent time choosing the right shirt that reflected his keen interest in gaming and Minecraft!

My kids are celebrating themselves for School Spirit Day!  I am grateful to our school system that creates an environment where we celebrate together our own individuality, and our unique spirit! It is a message that we hardly hear enough of these days.

And the Jewish Day School that my kids attend got the timing exactly right~ While on the holiday of Purim we wear masks and celebrate with costume and merriment, the real message of the holiday is to take pride in oneself.  There never would have been reason to celebrate in Shushan if Queen Esther had not removed her own “mask” and revealed her secret identity to her husband, the King.  Queen Esther was able to save the Jewish people because she spoke up.  Mordecai refused to bow down.  Purim is a story about being proud of who we are and not afraid to show it to the world!

Celebrate the Self Day! What an Awesome Idea.  Let’s all do it!