The countdown until Color Wars is on and every grade level here at OCSA has been working tirelessly since the beginning of the year for this anticipated event. With October 24, the day of Color Wars, being only mere days aways, the question of what the exciting event will look like still lingers. It has been apparent to all OCSA students that Color Wars will look exceedingly different than it has in previous years because of the construction going on around campus. The space for hallway decorations is limited, and the theater-where all grade levels typically perform- is no longer available to use. So, the main question many OCSA students have is where will Color Wars be this year?’ And what will all these changes mean for the outcome of the event?
Where will Color Wars performances be held?
With the theater closed off due to the renovations, Color Wars performances can no longer be held on the notorious stage. And with limited available space on campus, many students are unsure of where this major part of Color Wars will be held. When talking with SGA Sponsor, Ms. Swann, she stated how she thought that the event would definitely look different this year but mentioned how OCSA is “kind of going back to our roots”. She continued by saying how in the past decade OCSA never really used the theater for Color Wars. Originally, the performances were held in front of the auditorium steps and according to Ms. Swann were held in the covered area one year. Though when referring to this year’s Color Wars she stated how there will be two venues for students to perform at. For middle school their performances will take place on the auditorium steps while at the same time, high school performs in the cafeteria. This means that each grade level won’t be able to see all the performances and while that may seem disappointing, Ms. Swann assured that all the performances will be recorded and uploaded to OCSA’s YouTube page for everyone to watch. Even though most students are used to having Color Wars in the theater, the performances will now take place throughout campus. By doing this SGA- the club responsible for organizing the event- suggests an efficient alternative to make the performances just as exciting as it would be in the theater. Though, for others not having the stage still proves to be a big adjustment for many. Wendy Alvarez, the class representative for sophomores, stated, “Because of construction, obviously, there’s lots of limitations on what we can do… it’s gonna be a little harder you know, not having our stage.” Many grades share the same concern over not having the stage, likely because many students have been so accustomed to how Color Wars looks every year, that switching to a different location seems daunting. However, Ms. Swann assures that once the Color Wars festivities begin, all these concerns will be minimal and even expressed her faith in all OCSA students by stating, “I’ve watched you guys pull off incredible things out of nothing.” So even though the construction may change the layout of the event, Color Wars will seemingly be just as lively as any other year.
Where is every grades hallway?
Before construction, each grade had its own designated hallway. However, since then, the amount of usable space on campus has decreased, forcing Color Wars to be more compact. This is evident in the reduction of each grade’s hallway size. For the lower classmen, their hallways will be split between the two buildings by the flagpole. For 6th and 7th grade they will occupy the building four hallway and split it at Ms. Charles’ room. 6th grade will occupy the front half and 7th grade the back half. The same situation applies for 8th and 9th graders who will split the opposite hallway. 8th grade will occupy the space by Ms. Lindsey’s room and 9th grade will take the section by Mr. Andersons room. For the rest of the upperclassmen, their hallway sections are larger. For 10th grade, they will take up the new dance hallway, the 11th grade hallway will be in front of the theater steps, and 12th grade will be located next to the black box. This condensed hallway layout, while different from the traditional arrangement, makes it better for the lowerclassmen. Mr. Walsh, the 6th grade class sponsor, stated that “Since a lot of middle school students can only do it during lunch, unlike the high school, that can meet outside of school, middle school has trouble with that… I would expect the performances to be where everybody focuses, and then the hallways will just be a little less.” With less attention to the hallways, lowerclassmen can put more emphasis on their performances, potentially benefiting them by garnering more points.
Will the judging still be the same with these adjustments to Color Wars?
The judging for each grade’s hallway and performance has stayed the same. However, more clarification has been added to ensure a fair judging system. Ms. Swann stated how in previous years, the judging for each grade was confusing, and each judge had a different idea of scoring. So, figuring out each grade’s fair score was difficult since each judge interpreted the rubric differently. Though this year the outline for scoring is clearer, providing judges with questions to ask themselves when viewing each hallway or performance. This creates a fairer system when it comes to judging and ultimately gives each grade the impartial score they deserve. There is also the addition of comments that judges can leave for each grade. Ms. Swann stated how she hopes these comments can be given back to each grade so that they can, “use them as feedback for the next year.” By implementing this into Color Wars, grades won’t have to wonder why they receive the score they got and will be better prepared to improve in the following year.
Are people excited about this year’s Color Wars?
Even though Color Wars this year is far from what everyone is used to, students and staff are generally excited for the day to come. Of the people polled, 53% expressed their excitement over Color Wars. Alvarez stated, “Yeah, I think Color Wars would be just as exciting, for sure, because especially with this more unique way of doing it this year. I don’t see why [construction] would make it any less exciting.” In addition to this Mr. Walsh, when asked about whether the construction will affect the joy of Color Wars stated, “we can work around anything at this school… I am confident it will be exciting.” And clearly this excitement can be felt by others across campus as everyone continues to practice and prepare for the event. While the construction may have altered the way that Color Wars functions this year, it has yet to change the spirit and exhilaration of the day.
