Every Friday students’ energy, along with their hands, are raised for High Five Friday. Students and teachers horde outside of Science Teacher Amy Van Matre-Woodward’s room giving high fives.

“We have both hands forming a trail down half of the science hallway. During passing periods almost all of the kids give us high fives while yelling ‘HIGH FIVE FRIDAY!’” Science ASC Teacher Susan Anderson said.

Van Matre-Woodward came up with the idea for High Five Friday in early September after noticing that students and teachers were getting worn down by Friday afternoon. With her office only two doors down from Van Matre-Woodwards, Secretary Kitty Strong joins her every week to raise student morale.

“I love hearing the excitement in everybody’s voice. It is nice to know that I’m helping bring up the morale and getting students excited about being here. We are showing students that school doesn’t have to be all work. It can be fun too,” Strong said.

When it first started out, Van Matre-Woodward says most students were unwilling to participate.

“I have been given some strange looks, and there are students who refuse to make eye contact with me, which I find very amusing. I like to make uncomfortable people give me high fives. Although, now I think more people are willing to engage in High Five Friday as they walk down the hallway,” Van Matre-Woodward said.

In order to make more students aware of the day, Van Matre-Woodward has been calling out all of her former and current students to run through the line.

“I hadn’t heard about it until Mrs. Van Matre called me over to run through the line. I was surprised at first because everyone was screaming, but once I realized what was happening it brought a smile to my face,” sophomore Mitch Wills said. “This is something that you usually don’t see in a school but it’s really cool. It makes you feel good.”

Even Principal Jeremy Mitchell noticed the impact of High Five Friday.

“Dr. Mitchell gave us a shout-out during the pep rally and in the weekly kudos in one of his Monday Memos. He said that High-Five Friday was spreading to other parts of the building and appreciated that we were getting people pumped up. He sees that we are doing something out of the ordinary down in our part of the building,” Van Matre-Woodward said.

Van Matre-Woodward noticed an increase of traffic in the hallway a few weeks after starting. Freshman William Cremeens intentionally goes out of his daily route to classes in order to participate in High Five Friday.

“I look forward to the high fiving all week long,” Cremeens said. “I only wish that other floors were doing it so kids don’t have to walk all the way down to the first floor. Everyone should be able to experience the fun of High Five Friday.”