Every spring, Selma High’s campus transforms into the heart of a friendly rivalry and team spirit during Bear Days. This year, from April 13th-17th, ten enthusiastic teams, including the Ag Olympians, Band of Bears, Bear Cubs (2024 Champions), Big Sister General, Goon Squad, Prodigies, Project X, The Bahd Beaches, The Goats, Winged Crows, and XC+3, all competed in a week packed with engaging challenges and activities.For many students, Bear Days provided the chance to step out of their comfort zone, collaborate with their peers, and discover strengths that they hadn’t realized they possessed. They were able to gain confidence and develop a greater sense of school spirit, all while having fun in a supportive environment. “Being in the challenges was awkward at first, but seeing my teammates, the awkwardness went away,” says Rafael Eugenio. His teammate, Hamza Almuradi, agrees, “It was very fun to do the challenges, and it felt good to be involved in the Bear Days.” On Monday, the festivities began with team introductions, as all participants gathered in the quad before a panel of judges. Teams were evaluated on their initial presentation and awarded points to kick off the event. They were allowed to select a 45-second entrance song to stand out before the evaluators. All teams held their team poster with pride as they made their way up. The contestants earned bonus points by cheering on their contenders and participating in the dress-up day. On the first day, the teams were encouraged to wear sunglasses or hats to build team spirit. At the end of this activity, the Bear Cubs were in the lead with 21.3 points, the Winged Crows not far behind at 21 points, and the Prodigies and the Bahd Beaches tied in third place with a score of 20.The event was followed by a Tug-of-War with shaving cream in the middle. On Tuesday, participants would also receive extra points for dressing in their Disney gear. The activity required 6 players, with the losing team being shoved into the foamy substance, and the winning teams competing against each other until only one team remained. The Bear Cubs and the Winged Crows shared first place with a score of 25, next was the Prodigies with 20 tallies, and coming in third was Big Sister General with a result of 15 points. During the boat race on Wednesday, extra recognition was given to players who used something other than a backpack; the event itself was held in the pool area. The race involved four team members, each provided with an inflatable raft and paddles as their means of transportation. The game would begin with 2 of the participants paddling to the opposite side of the pool. On the other side, the remaining two members would be waiting to quickly climb onto the raft and paddle back as quickly as possible to outpace the competition, which would also be racing alongside them. Following the paddle race, the Ag Olympians were in first place as the swiftest team, finishing in a time of 1:15. In second place were the Winged Crows with a time of 1:17 minutes, and in third place were The Bahd Beaches, having a final time of 1:23. The fourth day of Bear Days, a game featured an obstacle course in the grass area by the band area, where 8 players would travel through the circuit with a baton that would be passed down to the following participant before starting the next section. Contestants were encouraged to decorate their faces with face paint to earn bonus points. To start the course, the first challenge required player 1 to spin on the bat, then, with player 2, they would complete a wheelbarrow race. Next, the third contestant had to walk across the plank while wearing dizzy goggles. If the participants failed 10 times, they were allowed to proceed to the next challenge. After that, the fourth and fifth player were to pop three balloons by sitting on their partner during the race. The fun continued as the sixth participant searched for the gumball hidden in whipped cream pies and blew a bubble once they found it. When this was over, the seventh player was to toss one sandbag into the cornhole, and if the player missed 10 times, they were to move on to the final challenge. The concluding activity called for the last participant to navigate the inflatable obstacle course and successfully cross the finish line. After wrapping up this activity, the Winged Crows claimed the top spot, achieving a time of 2:37. Coming in second was the Bear Cubs, stopping the clock at 2:40. Occupying third place was XC+3 with a result of 2:43. Junior Natasha Torres, a member of the spirit committee, reflects, “It was a little stressful at first because it was the spirit’s first time doing Bear Days, but we got the hang of it, especially because other committees helped.” She also emphasizes that teamwork made the event possible, guided by examples set in prior years. The final event during the Bear Days week took place at Bearchella, held inside the gym. Contestants were to choose a team, either astronauts or aliens, where they would dress in either green for the alien side or white for the astronauts. This last activity was a lip sync competition to be performed in front of the crowd at the rally. While participation was warmly invited, it was not mandatory. Each performance was to be no longer than 30 seconds, with consequences for exceeding the time limit. Songs had to be clean, and each team needed at least one member actively lip-syncing.
Junior Daisy Rubio reflected on the fun week. “It was pretty fun to be a part of a school activity and get out of our comfort zones,” highlighting the positive impact of student involvement during Bear Days while emphasizing the value of trying new things at school. Bear Days wrapped up with the Winged Crows securing first place, earning an impressive total of 110.5 points. The Bear Cubs followed closely behind in second with an overall score of 104.55 points, while the Ag Olympians rounded out the top three with 91 points. As cheers and applause marked the end of another memorable Bear Days celebration, every team walked away with new memories and feeling more spirited than ever.
