Welcome back Thunderbirds! The fall quarter of 2025 was very strong and the ThunderWord hopes readers had a refreshing and relaxing winter break. As per tradition, the start of the quarter was marked by the return of Thunderweek, a week of events and spirit days to get students excited for the quarter ahead. 

The overarching event of Thunderweek is spirit days but throughout the week there were also multiple events that one could attend between classes. Here’s a recap of this quarter’s eventful Thunderweek: 

Monday was called “Cozy Monday” and students were encouraged to dress like it was pajama day or in warm sweaters. It was all about dropping the fashion formality and getting comfortable for winter. To go with this cozy theme, hot cocoa and breakfast pastries were available at a welcome event for students. It was a calm and relaxing first day back for any who attended.

On Tuesday the theme was “Highline Spirit” in which students, campus-wide, were encouraged to represent Highline with Thunderbird swag and spirit. (Both men and women’s basketball are in full swing and could always use support, so more than just this last Tuesday, show school spirit by supporting Highline’s athletes!) Also on this day, there was a club fair. It showed off many of Highline’s wonderful clubs such as ASL club, Cybersecurity club, and Running Start club, among many more.

Wednesday, called “Disney/Cartoon Day”, was for Highline’s cosplayers and animation fans. The theme was to dress up as a favorite character, bringing the drawing to life. Wednesday’s event was a game show. It had a decent turnout of about 25 people with both students and staff attending. One staff member said, “We’re gonna get fun, we’re gonna get loud, we’re gonna get crazy.”

Thursday was “Twin Day” for spirit week. The last day of spirit week was dedicated to matching with a friend (or multiple friends). For the last event of Thunderweek, there was “Vision Your Year at the ICC” for students who wanted to reflect on past quarters, set future goals, and get support from the ICC.

Overall, this week provided a warm welcome to negate the cold and get Highline students ready for an amazing winter quarter!