BELLAIRE • MEMORIAL • RIVER OAKS • TANGLEWOOD • WEST UNIVERSITY

Duchesne Fish Swim Upstream

By Caitlyn McConnell, Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, School Buzz Editor | September 17, 2021

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Freshmen Marta Pereda, Diedre Perez-Crane, Isabelle Ganchan, Sophia LyBrand, Anjelina Ramirez, Ava Moore, Ariana Pangilinan, Addie Welo, Kate Abbott, Carina Savarino, Isabel Fernandez-Cueto, and Gabi Romano posing in their throwback costumes.

Dazed and Confused follows a Texas high school in the 70s as the seniors bond with the school’s freshmen. We’ve come a long way since the 70’s (and even the 90’s when the film was made), but the tradition of "fish week" remains and has played out at high schools all over town. At Duchesne, Fish Week is the week when freshmen enter high school and are welcomed by the senior class. The traditions may look at lot different from Dazed and Confused, but the sentiment still stands.

Over the first week of school, Duchesne’s class of 2022 took the sacred tradition in stride. Every day the seniors would bring coordinated costumes for their chosen freshman sister and hang out with them between class periods. The tradition is designed to get the freshmen students engaged in campus life and give seniors applying to colleges something fun and constructive to do. Freshmen at Duchesne seem to have enjoyed the tradition.

Freshman Mila Coco with her senior sister, Madaline Bolin, in the senior courtyard.

"Oh my gosh, my favorite part of Fish Week was dressing up as a Founding Father," gushed freshman Ariana Pangilinan. Across Duchesne’s campus, freshmen were spotted dressed as corn, grandmas, goth rockstars, farm animals, and visitors from past decades—all corresponding to the different theme for the day.

Fish Week is more than just a fashion show. It’s a chance for seniors to show the new, younger students the ropes and welcome them to the Upper School.

“I love Duchesne. Everyone feels like my sister, and everyone is always looking out for each other,” said freshman Gigi Madrid. The freshmen giggle over their costumes together and meet the other girls in their grade. My freshman, Sophia LyBrand, said her favorite part of Fish Week was getting closer with people from other grades.

Throughout the week, seniors and freshmen have spent their free periods playing Just Dance and singing karaoke in the theatre. They also worked together on a community service project by collecting canned goods for Memorial Assistance Ministries.

Seniors Kristen Huggins, Mary Grace Meyer, and Julianne Sellers collecting canned food donations for Memorial Assistance Ministries for the Fish Week community service project.

On Saturday night, the seniors cruised around with their freshmen to the GIC (Getting in Circulation) Dance—without the 70’s Dazed and Confused Drive In. The GIC Dance was a chance for Duchesne freshmen to meet students from other area schools. Attendees included students from Strake Jesuit College Preparatory, St. Thomas High School, and Incarnate Word Academy. Afterwards, some seniors hosted sleepovers for their freshmen sisters—passing the torch to the next generation of school leaders.