Seniors waited four years for this week. Juniors will count down the months until this week. Sophomores were anxious to see what the upperclassmen would wear this week. And freshmen had no clue what to expect in the hallways this week. It is safe to say that the class of 2016 met the wild expectations for the five themed days leading up to the Homecoming dance on Saturday.

Although it is not a school sponsored event, for years now, the senior class has taken on the role of scheduling a list of themes, coordinating outfits, and shocking the entire student body during this week. After an announcement of the themes for the week in the senior class Facebook group, seniors began shopping for the appropriate apparel.

The week started with goth day. Dressed in all black, students walked the halls blaring heavy metal music while exchanging terrifying glares with people passing by. Seniors wore nose rings, black lipstick, combat boots and heavy eyeliner.

“I ended up spending way more money this week than I thought I would. I went to stores like Hot Topic for goth day and Walmart for white trash day. I borrowed stuff from some of my friends to save money, but I still spent over $50,” senior Lindsay Rather said.

Tuesday was business casual or Wall Street day. Guys wore expensive suits and girls wore dresses or outrageous pant suits with heels.  During passing periods, seniors staged a “stock market crash” where papers were thrown everywhere, causing everyone to be late to their next class. Students carried briefcases, walked the halls with a coffee mug in hand and talked to “clients” on Bluetooth headsets.

Next, there was White Trash day, otherwise known as the day that caused the administration to send home more students for dress code violation than any other day. Seniors held a tailgate before the start of first period outside the student entrance where they got into character for the day. Dressed in flannels and ripped jeans, students moved from class to class holding giant bottles of Mountain Dew, and many people carried their binders in trash bags. In years prior, students were sent home for bringing baby bumps, wearing scandalous clothing and being too much of a distraction to their peers; this year also resulted in many students being sent home due to dress code violation such as wearing sleeveless shirts.

“I didn’t realize how time consuming dressing up would be. I woke up early each morning at around 6:00 a.m. and met up with a few people at a friend’s house where we all got ready together. It took a lot of time and effort to buy the clothes, plan out the outfits, and get ready, but it was worth it,” senior Clare Obenchain said.

Thursday was gender switch day. Boys borrowed girls’ clothing and came dressed in yoga pants, tight shirts and other apparel typically worn by the girls in our school. The girls, on the other hand, went for the stereotypical HP boy look and wore football shirts tucked into white washed jeans and cowboy boots.

The week concluded with spirit day where students showed off their HP pride dressed in blue and gold. Many students who participate in one sport or activity traded uniforms with someone in another activity.