“We’vE BEeN ROBBED!?!?!?!??!???!!!”
On January 30, a horrifying video shocked the Barlow community. Buster the Bruin was admiring the state trophy when a masked student appeared. Their identity concealed by all-black clothing and sunglasses, the student snuck into the staff room, their actions hidden behind a closed door. When the student emerged, Buster was on the floor—and the state trophy was gone. This heist kickstarted Beardown week from Monday, February 2, to Friday, February 6, with Barlow students given a mission: Operation: Beardown Week.
“Beardown is a long-standing tradition at Barlow as a spirit week that happens at the beginning of the second semester,” explains Student Council leader April Anderson. However, unlike previous years, this Beardown Week went all-out.
Following the theft, Barlow students returned to bears adorning the walls, spy references everywhere, and designated dress-up days to help students embrace the role of secret agents to get the trophy back.
“We always brainstorm ideas as a class, and we liked the uniqueness of a spy theme,” explains ASB President Olivia Howell.
This year’s themes started with “Hidden in plain sight,” where Bruins wore their camo attire. Tuesday was “Partners in crime,” which allowed the students to match each other. Wednesday was “Gadget swap,” an opportunity for students to replace their backpacks with anything within regulations, followed by “Late for assignment” on Thursday, which served as pajama day. The week concluded with “Undercover agent,” with Bruins dressed in all-black. Also on Friday was a Beardown assembly, where the trouble only grew.
A spotlight in the gym highlighted a large box. When the lid lifted, it revealed Buster the Bruin, taken hostage and bound to a chair by multiple ropes. To free Buster, students had to win various assembly mini-games, such as a scavenger hunt and musical chairs. Once Buster was freed, the assembly concluded, and the state trophy was returned to its rightful place.
Lots of behind-the-scenes work went into this year’s Beardown week. While this year it followed a heist narrative plot, the true purpose of Beardown is just to get students excited about the second semester.
“The middle of the year can be hard with assignments and deadlines,” explains Howell. “We wanted to make the second semester of the year fun!”
Beardown is created by the Student Council, breaking into sub-committees to accomplish separate but equally important goals. With planning such a large-scale event, challenges are bound to arise, which the Student Council had to overcome.
“Trying to incorporate dress-up days, hallway decorations, lunch time activities, and an assembly into one theme can be challenging,” Howell explains. “It takes a lot of collaboration as a class to make it happen.”
Beardown Week successfully raised school spirit. The trophy has been returned, and Buster is better than ever—at least until next year’s Beardown chaos!
