To this day, Freshman year’s Aquacades still stands out as one of the highlights of my NDB experience. What I remember most from that night was the color throw that left blue powder in my hair for days, the overwhelming sound of four classes screaming and stomping in the bleachers, and the fact that though the Spartans (predictably) came in the last place, we still cheered as loud as we could for our classmates and sisters.

Sophomore year, I signed up for the group deck routine and was excited to take part in this tradition, not only as a spectator but also as a participant. Unfortunately, Aquacades was canceled and I did not get the opportunity to perform my routine with my classmates. Our sister class, the Gators, did not get the chance to win Aquacades as seniors and experience this tradition one last time.

School spirit has never been a strong suit for the Spartans. We have come in third or fourth place consistently in all spirit point events throughout our time at NDB. However, we are going to be seniors next year. Without the Titans, Gators, or Knights, 2022’s Aquacades will be very different from the one we remember from freshman year. It will be up to the Spartans to lead the other classes.

My hope for the junior class this year is that we can use Aquacades to come together before we are seniors and can enjoy the time with our classmates, even if it is under unusual circumstances. It is hard to imagine Aquacades looking so different from what we remember from freshman year, but the student council has been working hard to put together an Aquacades for us, and we should take the opportunity to participate. This year, we also have a new sister class, the Dragons. We have to help them have the best freshman Aquacades that they can, given the circumstances. When we were freshmen, the Gators helped teach us how important Aquacades is at NDB, but I feel that a lot of the excitement leading up to NDB’s biggest spirit rally is not there this year. It is our job to encourage the Dragons to make the most out of this experience.

I feel like I have missed out on a lot of my high school experience due to the pandemic, as I imagine everyone does. While I recognize that my class has it better than others, such as the seniors and freshmen, we still have lost a lot of the events and traditions that make NDB special. That is why I am excited to have an Aquacades, even if it is online. I am glad to be able to share this last spirit rally with the Knights and to teach the Wildcats and Dragons what Aquacades means to NDB.