This first quarter of the 2024 school year has been full of unexpected changes. During the month of October, these changes can be considered, “Spooky Surprises,” a term coined by former staff members, Mia Lopez (A‘18) and Audrey Diaz (A‘18). The formal definition being, “Spooky surprise is something that cannot be foreseen. It can be anything. That’s what makes it a spooky surprise.” To preface, though these are called “Spooky Surprises,” it is not meant to be a negative term, just because it is a spooky season, they are considered “Spooky Surprises.” With that being said, here are some “Spooky Surprises” of 2024:
When the new freshman uniforms were announced in March, they definitely had mixed reviews. Because of how big of a change it was from the current attire, it was enforced and debuted in the class of 2028. Though some girls are still undecided on their opinions, the freshman look great and have not had too many complaints, here are some of the thoughts from the freshman.
“I like having a skort; it is much more comfortable than my old uniform,” said Kayla Gibson (28′), and Sophia Bigger (28′) said, “I also like the new uniform because the blazer keeps me warm since my classrooms are so cold.”
The biggest surprise of the year so far is definitely the back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton: Milton being the first direct hit to Tampa Bay in 100 years. This cut nearly a week and a half worth of unscheduled days of no school. Girls lost their homes, cars, power, and now are also very behind in school, college applications, and sports. Some have family staying with them or are not even staying in their homes due to the destruction caused. Also, things like the law courthouse trip, the first service day, and major tests had to be canceled. It is definitely the most spooky surprise due to the unexpected nature of these storms.
“I was very scared my house was gonna flood and my alarm system called me saying my house was on fire, which it wasn’t luckily and left me very frightened,” said Mia Debourg (‘26).
The third has to do with the parking garage, which can be a place of good and bad. This year, there have been two car accidents in the parking garage which were very spooky and not spooktacular. Also, many girls have been caught speeding through, cutting people off, and it was a big change for juniors and took some time getting used to. Though some still speed, don’t follow the zipper method, or don’t stop at the stop sign, there is progress being made.
“When I get to school, girls are speeding and I see girls parked completely sideways which makes it impossible to park due to the driving struggles of my sisters,” said Abby Doyle (‘26).
Lastly, our technology, whether it be Academy’s or personal phones, have become unavailable due to recent studies that show negative signs surrounding social media and phones in general. Still having our Academy technology like Macbooks and iPads, social media and streaming services have been banned, but it has made a positive impact on the girls. That being said, girls have found new ways to have fun with New York Times Games, and being more social with each other during lunch, classes, and passing time. Having it be in a plastic container or kept in the car, it was a big adjustment at first, but after letting it set it, it has brought the girls closer together.
“At first not having my phone felt a little weird, but after a while of adjusting it has made me closer with so many new girls,” said Olivia Vargas (’25).
Some extras that didn’t make the cut include Kairos availability, the convocation on social media, and it only being October and all of this has happened in barely three months. Overall, girls, do not let this spook too much, these spooky surprises have positive effects, the freshmen love how they have a skort, Tampa grew together after these hurricanes, girls’ driving has improved, and sisters are bonding more without phones.
