By Sophie Kim, Banner Staff & Ella Paterniti, Contributing Writer

Under The Lights (UTL) is the culmination of spirit week and a beloved Winsor tradition where every fall sports team (except for crew and cross country) plays a home game on the same afternoon. UTL also takes place on the last day of spirit week, Red Day, when the entire Winsor community is dressed head to toe in red.

On Friday afternoon, the school was bubbling with excitement as they filled the gym for the pep rally. An annual highlight of the pep rally is the cheer competition in the Upper School. The juniors and seniors compete to win the cheer and the bragging rights that come along with it, with the faculty judges awarding the seniors first place this year. The Lower Schoolers showcased their strong singing abilities and wide variety of talents, from tumbling to singing in their cheers, while the Upper School cheers were an impressive display of choreography and class unity. SASS head Nora Furlong ‘25 shared her excitement about the cheers, saying, “I love the tradition of the cheer competition, because it really brings the whole grade together to have a shared goal, especially in junior and senior years.” She also noted that this year the Lower School’s cheers stood out. She exclaimed,“I loved the stunts, the song choices, and the Mr. Constant feature. They were awesome!” 

In addition to the cheer competition, the pep rally also included amazing performances from Drum, Strum, and More, Dance Team, and Senior Small.

After the cheer competition, students hurried outside for the festivities, which included a jewelry-making station, spin art, and photo ops. The Cross-Country Team also had a poster-making stand to celebrate the athletes competing at UTL.

All of the UTL games were filled with school spirit, with students cheering for all of their peers. In particular, the Varsity Volleyball Team gathered significant attention from students and parents in their intense match against Dana Hall. After the close fight, Winsor emerged victorious. Susan Zuo ’26, who played in the match, remarked, “Competing at UTL and hearing people cheer gives you so much adrenaline and confidence in your playing that all you can only think about is the game.” She continued, “the best moment is winning the game and feeling proud to represent your team and Winsor.”

Congratulations to all of the athletes who competed in UTL this year and to the seniors for winning the cheer!