The Village People, Salt-n-Pepa, hippies, even a swarm of bees showed up at Fort Mill High last week during the school's annual Spirit Week leading up to Homecoming.

Students dressed up all week in varying themes and competed for school spirit points and bragging rights. Staff and faculty members voted to award the winners of the costume contests while the students sought the spirit stick each day to win points for their class.

"We've done Spirit Weeks since the 60s at least," Principal Dee Christopher said. "There are lots of ways to get points."

Students kicked off the week in their PJs last Monday and followed up by dressing as their favorite Hollywood star on Tuesday. Class divisions were evident on Wednesday when each class followed a different theme: seniors did their best "Animal House" impressions dressed in togas; juniors donned 10-gallon hats, cowboy boots and leather fringe jackets for a day in the wild West; sophomores dressed as animals; and freshmen came to school in sports gear.

Thursday was Group Day and brought out students dressed as the Village People and many other musical acts. Other interpretations of the theme included a bee keeper and a swarm of bees, or a few dozen freshmen sporting similar tie-dye shirts. The tie-dyed freshmen won the Best Costume award that day.

Then on Friday, nearly everyone dressed in school colors for Blue and Gold Day.

The big winners for the week were the seniors. Juniors placed second, followed by the sophomores and freshmen.

"There's an idea that the seniors never lose," Christopher said. "And they did everything they could to make sure they didn't."

More students participated in Spirit Week events this year than in the last two, Christopher said.

"I think it's just part of who we are as a school," he said. Unfortunately for Fort Mill fans, the Yellow Jackets lost the homecoming game against Boiling Springs 16-13.