Homecoming Week kicked off on Tuesday, October 14, with Orange vs.Blue Day. This day, an annual tradition at Benjamin, was highly anticipated by students as they put together their best outfits. For this Spirit Day, students wore either orange or blue, depending on which team they were on. BucGames also began, but with an interesting new theme: Squid Games.
For Orange vs. Blue Day, each student was given a t-shirt to wear based on their team affiliation. These t-shirts were designed and paid for by the Student Council. They helped
ensure all students could be included in the festivities with minimal effort.
Other students chose to get even more creative and celebratory, wearing wigs, tutus, colored suits, and more in addition to their team t-shirts.
“I actually wore the blue Benjamin shirt and paired it with a blue tennis skirt,” shared senior Kate Quinlivan.
As for the daily activity, students had their first experience with the new
Squid Games format of BucGames. This new format includes various games inspired by those played in the popular Netflix show.
Student Council Advisor, Mr. Zachary Rubiano, explains the change in game type, “The decision to change the activities and traditional format of our activities into what I’ve developed into Buc Games, our Squid Games themed multi-day event, came from me primarily. I think over the years, doing the same couple of activities gets boring and
played out. Students lose interest in watching the same 30 kids play dodgeball year after year, and by the time students become seniors, they get annoyed with how boring Spirit
Week has become. This year, our format gave us the ability to involve the whole student body, create a multiday competition, and keep even your more parochial students on the edge of their seats to see what was coming next. I think it was a huge success.”
On Tuesday, the activity was inspired by the game Mingle, in which, on the show, players stood on a rotating platform and then ran in circles, with only a certain number of players allowed. At Benjamin, the game was changed slightly with the smaller circles being selected based on team, grade level, and gender. The activity took place on the field and was just
the beginning of Squid Games competitions throughout the week.
Senior Caroline Welke enjoyed this new game, “It was so much fun because we were just all running around trying to figure out where to go. I also survived and made it to the
next day, which was exciting.”
By the end of Tuesday’s game, 39 freshmen, 36 sophomores, 38 juniors, and 38 seniors remained in BucGames and got to continue on to Wednesday’s competition.
This new version of BucGames was difficult to plan in terms of logistics, but also extremely creative and interactive for all students, not just a select group. It seems as though, in
the eyes of the Student Council, this shift in format paid off.
“This activity went better than I could have anticipated, given the nature of it. We took some 500 plus students, 40 faculty members, and brought them to the field where absolute chaos was going to erupt. Mr. Wik and I had done our best to prepare the Faculty for their role in the activity, but once game day had arisen, you never really realize how many kids
500 are until they’re in front of you, ready to trample you. The activity itself went exceedingly well; we had programmed in advance how many eliminations we could have to continue the rest of the week’s activities, and we managed to reach that number with a small margin of error. No students were injured during the game, which is always a plus. Best of all, all of the outside planning and work by Mr. Wik and me proved to function
well, which, when you try something new, is never a guarantee,” explained Mr. Rubiano.
On Wednesday, October 15, students filled campus with laughter and creativity for Meme Day, the second event of the 2025 Homecoming Spirit Week. The themed day featured costumes inspired by viral internet memes and pop-culture moments, leading into the next round of BucGames, the school’s Squid Game inspired competition between the orange and blue teams.
According to Student Council President Liam Duffy, the “Meme Day” theme was chosen to encourage originality and participation.
“This homecoming week we really wanted to do things that could make the students get creative without having to redo the same themes we do every year. Meme day was a
great addition to our theme’s roster, as it hasn’t been done in years and gives students an opportunity to express their humor through costume,” Duffy explained.
Students embraced the spirit of the day with outfits ranging from the roller-skating “Lady Glitter Sparkles” to NBA player Jeff Teague.
“I decided to be Lady Glitter Sparkles because I thought it would be really funny to roller skate around school. I loved making people laugh as they saw me walk by and making memories with my friends. It made me so happy to see everyone so dressed up and participating. The theme lifted the spirit in our classes in a unique way and brought everyone together,” senior Piper Touhey expressed.
Sophomore Kevin McGann, who dressed as Jeff Teague, felt that the day helped him connect with his classmates.
“Me and a lot of my friends wanted to be Jeff Teague because of the viral meme on TikTok of him. It was so nice to have a big group of us all dressed as the same meme and one of
my favorite parts of the day was taking a photo with everyone dressed up. The day gave me confidence because even though I was dressed in a ridiculous outfit, everyone seemed to love it,” McGann said.
Spirit Week Showdown: Red Light, Green Light Competition
After lunch, students gathered in the gym for Red Light, Green Light. The challenge, organized by Social Science Department Chair Mr. Graham Wik and Student Council
Advisor, Mr. Zack Rubiano, recreated some of the intensity of Squid Games, with music, posters and students competing to stay in the game. Junior Emma Lewis loved the
suspense and the competitive energy it brought to the gym.
“I really enjoyed the high stakes nature of the game. Since I had played Red Light, Green Light many times before, I was pretty confident in my approach to just take my time and
eventually make my way to the end. I was so happy when I crossed the finish line and was excited to compete in the next round the following day,” Lewis stated.
For others, the game was as nerve-wracking as it was fun. Freshman Ava Bavarro felt that the combination of excitement and pressure made the experience particularly memorable.
“During the game, I tried to walk quickly when it was green, but as soon as it turned red, I came to a dead stop, not even breathing. I was really nervous because I wanted to stay in
the game but as soon as I crossed the finish line I felt a sense of relief. It was so rewarding,” Bavaro said.
Faculty, too, enjoyed the game. World Language Department Chair, Señora Tejera-Mede, helped signal during the activity, acting as the main doll in the Squid Games series.
“Mr. Wik and Mr. Rubiano asked, and of course, I said yes immediately since I love participating in activities. I love seeing the laughter, fun, and the release of energy from students. During these weeks, the school becomes more than just a place for classes; the students feel connected, supported, and part of the school community,” Señora Tejera-Mede explained.
When the last round of Red Light, Green Light came to an end, students returned to class, the pool of competitors narrowing as Spirit Week reached its midpoint. By afternoon,
the excitement had faded back into routine, but the week’s competition was far from over.
Thurs, Oct. 16th, brought a twist to Homecoming week as students stepped into teachers’ shoes, literally. From the regular Benjamin attire to button-downs, dresses, and more, students had fun mirroring the teachers who teach them every day.
Senior Sienna Barboni dressed up as Mrs. Salivar, and, in a funny coincidence, the two ended up wearing the same dress, which earned plenty of laughs from both students and
teachers.
“Our entire AP Spanish class dressed up as Mrs. Salivar, and we’ve had this planned for so long now. I didn’t even try to get the same dress as hers, but just something that somewhat looks like her dress. Coincidentally, we wore the same dress that day,” Barboni remarked. “People said that day that I looked so much like her.”
Sophomore Becket Yeary tried to do his best Mr. Rubiano impression, wearing as much Dunkin’ Donuts merch as possible.
“I had a good time dressing up as him. I got a ton of compliments, and everyone said I looked exactly like him,” Yeary stated.
On the other hand, teachers dressed up as students and had a great time with it. Mrs. Steiner dressed up as a specific student.
“I dressed up like senior Chase Connor. I know he has a good sense of humor, and I figured he would go along with me dressing up like him,” Steiner said. “I wasn’t sure if he was, but he dressed up like me. I got the smallest possible shirt, and I rolled up
my shorts for it to be like him.”
Junior Mackenzie Bryan had good things to say about Thursday.
“The whole week was awesome, but Tuesday was the best-dressed day of the week by far. I loved everyone trying to dress up like their favorite teacher. Everyone in each class that I had that dressed up quizzed the class on who they dressed up as,” Bryan remarked.
After the laughter-filled morning of costumes of classroom impressions, the excitement carried into the afternoon with the day’s Buc Games challenge.
Thursday’s activity was jump rope. It tested the remaining contestants in the competition’s agility and coordination. The students ran through a 32-foot line that was two feet wide, with Coach Belser and Coach Smith swinging the jump rope clockwise at a medium pace.
Every day this week, Mr. Franzen was the announcer of all the games, and he loves how the games have gone, especially on Thursday.
“The kids are having a great time out there. It’s including everybody, and I love the enthusiasm, especially when they were doing the jumprope,” Franzen noted.
Senior Michael Johnson participated in the game, but struggled to hold his balance.
“It was definitely the hardest game yet, but I made it through. It was a very small landing area for your feet after you jumped over the jump rope,” Johnson said. “I feel like
if we had a longer bridge for us to go through, then more people would have gotten out. Only a few people got out, and it would have been more interesting if it were a little bit challenging.”
Sophomore Reese Goodwin wishes she had participated in the fun.
“It looked like everyone was having a good time out there. I have always been pretty good at jump rope, and I would have definitely gotten through,” Goodwin explained.
Unlike Goodwin, freshman Paige Hauisen was happy she didn’t participate.
“That looked really hard. It was comical watching it from the stands, because I was rooting for all of my friends when they did the jump rope,” Hauisen stated.
Thursday captured the lighthearted spirit of Homecoming Week. It brought laughter across campus with the clever costumes and the competitive jump rope event. The day reminded students and teachers alike that Benjamin’s traditions are built on creativity and Buccaneer spirit.
The events of a fun-filled week culminated on Friday. With the Homecoming football game only hours away, the students were full of energy at the Pep Rally. The cheerleaders gave them a preview of the night’s routines, as did the Dazzlers. Neither team ever failed to wow.
Every which way, one could see students donning their class dress: Fortnite Freshmen, Star-Spangled Sophomores, Jingle Bell Juniors, and SWAT Seniors. They went all out,
even dressing as Santa Claus and Thomas Jefferson.
Sophomore Melea Morgan said, “It was hilarious to see some of the costumes. One of my friends told me she was dressing up as George Washington, but I thought she’d just wear
a tee shirt or something with his face on it. She wore a founding father wig and jacket.”
Benjamin High School’s inaugural “Buc Squid Games” then came to a head with tug of war. If one side didn’t have enough students, they had to suffer the disadvantage. Freshman Connor Buchanan, Jackson Link, sophomores Jack Carney, Mason Coles, and Max Wendler, juniors Griffon Alterman, Autum Gay, Emma Lewis, and seniors Desmon
Flemming, Gavin Venoff, and Caroline Welke made up the blue team.
These contestants matched up against a larger opponent than anticipated. Orange team’s contestants consisted of freshmen Jack Fuller, Quinn Hoban, Gerard Vulgaris, sophomores Lukas Sluiters, John Collins, Sophia Lapter, and Andrea Arendts, juniors Logan Buchanan, Cian Hoban, Samantha Haueisen, and seniors Niko Lenard and RJ Pierman.
With a ratio of 12-11, the odds were stacked against the blue team.
The match was close, but strength and firmly planted feet led Team Orange to victory. And so the first BucGames came to an end. Some members of the blue team were disappointed with the outcome and found it unjust.
Freshman Connor Buchanan said, “I didn’t try as hard as some other people to make it to the last round, but a lot of kids did. It wasn’t fair at all that the orange team won because
we didn’t have as many people. As long as Logan Buchanan is on orange [team], blue team will lose again next year.”
As always, Ms. Mays closed out the pep rally with a B-U-C-S chant to get everyone excited for the football game. Friday morning’s events were a great kickoff to Homecoming Weekend.
