During Communication High School’s (CHS) Stages of Life spirit day, the school was filled with babies, newlyweds, middle-aged adults and funeral attendees.  

Freshmen came to school dressed in onesies and blue and pink clothing to prepare for a gender reveal party. The sophomores took a more sophisticated approach in their wedding attire, with some students dressed in white floral dresses, veils and lace, while others opted for bow ties and suits. The juniors prepared for their retirement parties, wearing sunglasses and tropical clothing. The seniors, mourning their high school years, came to school dressed in all black.

With every grade scrambling to earn their participation points, students crowded at the front doors, handing out accessories to those in their grade that did not dress up.

The main event of the day was Trivia Jenga. Four students from each grade made up a team, who each had five seconds to answer a trivia question and if they answered incorrectly, remove a Jenga block. If the tower fell, that team would be out. With three rounds total, one team was eliminated each round, the first to see defeat being the sophomores.  

 Leo Kraus, a sophomore from Manasquan, took part in the event.

“I think the questions were way too hard for any self-respecting individual. The question I got was about a Greek philosopher who lived in a jar.  I never stood a chance”

When the Student Government Association (SGA) realized that the rounds were taking up too much time, they adjusted the rules, making the second round a round of normal Jenga and the third round a head-to-head lightning round of trivia.

The game ended with the juniors and seniors tied for first place, the freshmen coming in second and the sophomores coming in last.  

The other  event of the day was the Daily Scavenger Hunt. Students were given a list of about ten random items and the grades competed to collect the most objects in fifteen minutes. Tuesday’s list included items such as four C size batteries, five pieces of clothing from five different high schools (that did not include CHS), an iPhone at exactly 52% battery charge, a pink Color Wars shirt and more.  

The freshmen took first place, collecting every item on the list. The sophomores and seniors tied for second while the juniors came in last.  

Isabella San Filippo from Wall Township, president of the junior class, was disappointed in the results of the Daily Scav.

“Sometimes you just don’t have the items and there’s nothing you can do about it, which is what happened today,” said San Filippo.

The seniors, though in first place overall, were frustrated with the scavenger hunt results. Owen Annecharico, a senior from Avon by the Sea, thought that some grades had an advantage. 

“The freshmen have two advisors and one of them is in the guidance office, which has a lot of CHS stuff, and the other one is in the TV studio, which is a lot of technology stuff. So they almost have a monopoly on random items,” said Annecharico.

As the week stands, the seniors are in first place overall with 113 points, the freshmen in second with 111 points, the sophomores in third with 103 and the juniors in fourth with 98 points. 

“I think that we can definitely make a comeback and we can rally the troops,” said San Filippo.

Each grade is determined to pull ahead and take the title of the 2025 Spring Spirit Week Champions.

“I think we are going to go for gold,” said Annecharico.

With three more days left of Spirit Week, it is anyone’s game for first.