Teachers Go Underground: A Week of Themed Fun

Walnut Grove teachers are diving into a new scene this week, creating fun themes to show off their creative “costumes” and giving the students an unforgettable week.
by Rylee Watson and Talia Banks

This past week was a whirlwind to unravel, the teachers executed a whole week's worth of creative and fun outfits that correlated to the themes. Starting with mismatched shoes, which caused everyone to do a double-take. On Tuesday, our teachers had to sip from anything but a cup. As the week progressed, secret agents were found instead of teachers on Wednesday, and Thursday was full of camouflage attire, leading to the cozy vibe of pajama day on Friday. Many teachers roamed the hall in their funky attire last week, and a large variety of students tried to connect the dots, but couldn’t quite figure out the meaning behind this themed week, the teachers and staff had created. As we wrapped up the fun-filled week, it was time to dive into the teacher’s favorite theme: Secret Agent Day. Many of the teachers and staff were able to show out and have a ton of fun with the theme. Mrs Doolittle, on D hall, shared her enjoyment,“...Secret Agent Day! Mrs. Keiser and I sent messages to each other and talked throughout the day using walkie-talkies to practice our best secret agent skills. It was a lot of fun!”

Mrs Shellnut also enjoyed testing her secret agent skills on Wednesday, Mrs Shellnut continues on why the week had such a positive outcome, “I think it adds a fun and refreshing element. Teaching and learning can be demanding for educators and students, so having a few days to be silly and enjoy the moment was a great way to lighten the mood.”
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On the other hand, we had a few teachers who had a different favorite day. Mr. Watson shared a love for pajama day because “...it was more comfortable than my normal work clothes. I may have even gotten a few naps throughout the day!”

The most stylish and imaginative outfit goes to Mr Ulrey, chosen by Mrs Whitehurst. She expresses, “My favorite outfits were Mr. Ulrey's--he got into it! For Anything But a Cup, he drank from a blood bag and even used a standing blood bag holder. For Secret Agent Day, he positioned himself outside his classroom with an upside-down newspaper and pretended to "read" it while surveying the goings on in the hallway. Finally, for Camo Day, he hid behind a fake tree all day. It was hilarious!”

The teachers were thrilled to participate and loved seeing their peers get involved. It brought a sense of camaraderie and fun into the school week, making everyone feel more connected. Many of our educators agreed that engaging in the themed days and seeing their colleagues join in added excitement throughout the regular school environment. Mrs. Whitehurst and Mrs Doolittle both believed that it provides something fun and exciting to look forward to as we get close to spring break. Mr Watson added, “I liked seeing how creative the other teachers can be. If someone raises the bar on a dress-up day, I feel like I need to come up with something more creative to top what someone else is doing.” He continues, “I do participate in spirit week dress-up days because the students seem to enjoy seeing that teachers do like having a good time occasionally.”

Looking ahead, we are excited to explore future themes that will continue to inspire creativity and new involvement among students and staff. Some of our teachers gave an inside scoop on some themes they are hoping for next time. Mr Watson’s preference would be, “...A Scrabble Day would be fun. You could get all of the teachers to wear a shirt with a different letter and form different words throughout the day, as an ELA teacher.” 
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Another funky idea from Mrs Doolittle was Soccer mom vs grill dad. This might lead to some hilarious costume choices and would have students totally impressed with future costumes, but we also had some teachers who didn’t want to disclose this “ top secret info”. 

Last week, our teachers surprised everyone by dressing up in funky themes like Mismatched Shoes, Anything but a Cup, Secret Agent, Camo, and Pajama Day. It was a great way to involve our teachers and staff together and brought a lot of joy to the WG community. But why did they do it? Maybe it was just some fun added in the week or a boost to get to spring break. The real mystery now is, what will they dress up as next time?