As the school year nears its end, Leadership organized another exhilarating week of Class Clash—an event first introduced last September with the goal of rallying student spirit. Class Clash is a spirit week in which grade levels compete with one another in lively contests and games in Ayers Gym, with this most recent Class Clash running from April 27 to May 1.
Students showed up in creative outfits according to each day’s theme and cheered passionately for peers, highlighting M-A’s student fervor.
Monday: Decades
The week kicked off with a scream-off contest, with each grade working together to show off their pride via enthusiastic cheers. After deciding the winners—with the sophomores emerging victorious—students participated in a game of musical chairs. Multiple students from each grade fiercely competed to eliminate other students, with freshman Spencer Ama coming out as the decisive winner.
“I just wanted to put on for my freshman class,” Ama said. “I know that’s [the] kind of talent we have, and I just wanted to show and win one for the team.”
Keeping up the energy, students then participated in a finish the lyrics competition. Participants struggled to recognize classics like “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury or “I Want It That Way” by Backstreet Boys. Despite the sophomores’ lyrical knowledge, senior Elise Koo still managed to secure the win.
Tuesday: Alliance Day
Tuesday continued the festivities with an alliance day between the underclassmen and upperclassmen, with the freshmen and sophomores dressed in white, and the juniors and seniors wearing black. During alliance days, if one team in the alliance scores points, the other automatically gains the same amount.
After the daily scream contest—which the upperclassmen won—10 students from each alliance participated in a hula hoop contest. Though the competition was fierce, the underclassmen ultimately managed to snatch victory.
The underclassmen’s streak didn’t end there. They won the following competition, a humorous steal-the-wig activity, as well as the final contest of the day, a lively game that combined Simon Says, Musical Chairs, and a handful of flimsy paper cups.
“I think it was super hype,” sophomore Anna Brown, the winner of the steal-that-cup game, said. “It’s really intense, the finals. I didn’t want to lose, because that’s embarrassing and because last time I spelled camouflage wrong, but I didn’t want to do that this time.”
Wednesday: Tourism Day
Wednesday was just as spirited as the previous days, with students showing up in their best tourist outfits. Students started the day with a game of charades, in which the sophomores destroyed the competition. Right after, they won a game of guess-the-song in a close, nail-biting victory against the juniors.
Switching to more physical activities, students then participated in a three-legged race where a pair of students each tie one of their legs together. Despite all the competitors’ struggles to coordinate with their partner, the sophomores won once again. The juniors, however, managed to pull off a win in the wheelbarrow race. Leadership held another costume contest to end the day, with a freshman being declared most fashionable.
Thursday: Alliance Day
Thursday was another alliance day, this time between the sophomores and seniors and the freshmen and juniors. The sophomores and seniors were encouraged to wear sportswear, while the freshmen and juniors had to dress academically in the ultimate nerds versus jocks faceoff.
Students started out with a knockout basketball game that led to an engaging half-court showdown. Although the competition was fierce, freshman Natalie Roman ultimately claimed first place.
Afterward, the alliances took part in a trivia game. Despite the sophomores and seniors’ three-point lead—each respective team must earn five to win—junior Lucas Sheldon guided his team into an impressive comeback by answering three questions correctly in a row.
“I was confident in my sports knowledge, and I thought I had mediocre smarts knowledge. From the start, I was like, ‘Nah, I got this,’” Sheldon said.
Participants then engaged in an intense tug-of-war battle that resulted in a win for the seniors and sophomores. Lastly, juniors dominated a classic game of Simon Says while the sophomores impressed judges to secure a win in the costume contest.
Friday: Colors
The final day of Class Clash began with a classic game of limbo, with sophomore Sasha Massaband stealing victory.
Students then participated in the viral TikTok trend—the tortilla slap—a ruthless but engaging game where students take turns slapping each other with tortillas. Although the participants initially went easy on each other, as the game progressed, the competition heightened and students swung their tortillas with more and more force. Senior Shelby Rider ultimately won the game with a clean slap to a sophomore’s face.
Class Clash wrapped up with an exciting dance battle. Students came together on the dance floor, performing cartwheels, the worm, and other creative moves, ending the week with high spirits.
After witnessing its undeniable success, Leadership is determined to turn Class Clash into a lasting school tradition.
“The vibes were out of the roof, just knowing you have other classes cheering you on while competing against other classes,” Ama said. “ It’s just a great feeling knowing it’s kids running this, it’s good to see how organized it was.”
