Cheers to Freshman Welcome Week at Duchesne

Per tradition, Duchesne kicked off the new school year with the annual Freshman Welcome Week, where the rising 9th graders join the Sacred Heart community and participate in fun activities throughout the week.

On the first day of “fish week,” an endearing name for the special week, each freshman is paired with a senior, and together, they dress up in different costumes each day in accordance with the theme. The seniors stopped at nothing when it came to dressing up their freshmen, as costumes ranged from inflatable avocado suits to trash bag dresses. The themes were chosen by the seniors, starting with the “decade” theme on the first day, where everyone dressed up from a different time period. Other themes included “rhyme without reason” and “country vs. country club.” 

12th grader Mariana Benitez said she enjoyed the “bikers vs. surfers” theme, because she “dressed [her] freshman up as a biker, and [she] made her wear a leather jacket and all.” After the pairs posed on the White House Lawn and took pictures together, the 9th and 12th graders had a different activity planned for each day.

Towards the end of the week, the Freshman were lured onto the White House Lawn, not knowing what was in store for them. Once they were huddled on the field, the seniors rushed out towards them, spraying shaving cream all over the freshmen. The annual senior shaving cream fight is arguably one of the best - and messiest - Welcome Week traditions. 

On the last day of the Welcome Week, 9th grade boys from other Catholic schools met at Duchesne with the freshmen and seniors at the Freshman Orientation Dance, where they had a blast dancing the night away. The Duchesne freshmen performed a senior-choreographed dance, and everyone joined in at the end to conclude the fun night. 

Altogether, Freshman Welcome Week was a complete success and a fabulous way to embrace the newest members of our community!