The senior class received a record 123 sign-ups for quad day this year, a 61% increase from the previous year. The increase in participation marks a return to a more normal school experience for a class that spent its sophomore year largely online because of the pandemic.

“I wanted to contribute back to our class for my last year since I’ve never done it [quad day] before,” senior Abhinav Patkar said. 

Senior Julian Berkowitz-Sklar said his class’s growth in male participation was palpable after the first all-boys practice on Aug. 27. There is a significant incline in participants in the All Boys Dance this year with a striking 38 boys compared to freshmen year’s total of four. 

“I definitely think the guys are really looking to make an impact on their last year,” Berkowitz-Sklar says.

Berkowitz-Sklar attributes the sudden change in spirit to the senior class’s last year of high school and a reduced fear of public events resulting from the pandemic. 

The increased participation numbers have also motivated senior dance choreographers. Senior Nadine Cobourn — who has helped choreograph every girls’ dance for the Class of ‘23 — said that the seniors’ placement in the “hierarchy” of Homecoming puts them at an advantage, making many seniors more confident about joining in. She said that, with seniority, comes perks such as first priority for choices in dance songs, more experience than the rest of the classes and an intimidation factor that often gives the senior dancers an edge over underclassmen. 

This year’s spirit commission and newly founded tech commission have also been working hard to pump out social media content well ahead of time and at a higher production quality, another contributor to the rise in spirit. This year’s Homecoming reveal video was a short film starring various ASB members and principal Greg Louie, complete with superhero costumes. Additionally, the senior class was privy to an early homecoming reveal — this year’s Marvel superhero theme was revealed in June for seniors only. 

Ultimately, the seniors said they plan on putting in extra time to ensure a quality Quad Day performance and rally.

“You don’t want to graduate high school and think back on [just] academics or extracurriculars,” Berkowitz-Sklar said. “You want to be able to have some school spirit and memories that you can look back to because at the end of the day, that’s what you’re gonna remember about high school.”