Ala Viva All the Way

For tour guide Christopher, leaning into Peddie’s traditions means there’s always an opportunity for school spirit – from a chill point of view or the top of your lungs.

Peddie is great because the people make it great. This is perhaps the most commonly said thing in chapel talks, and it rings true through everything that happens in our school. In my opinion, one of the ways that people make Peddie great is the traditions that we hold and carry with us. Blair Day is quintessentially Peddie and the most talked-about tradition by far, because it is the most important to the majority of campus. A full Spirit Week is capped off with a pep rally, including performances from every fall sports team. My favorite part is how easy it is to be involved with everything. Every class makes a huge banner, anyone can submit T-shirt designs and the Spirit Week themes are simple, so you could wear a T-shirt or a full get-up and still be part of it. 

Blair Day itself is amazing too, well worth the hype. Obviously, participating athletes have a good time being part of their team, but in my opinion, going around to all the games and being a Peddie super fan, cheering your lungs out and rushing the field at every game, is the best way to spend the day. 

Now obviously, Blair Day isn’t the only tradition at Peddie. Heads Day is an amazing spring tradition to cap the year off, a day where the whole school is split into four teams, competing in silly competitions against each other in almost everything you can imagine. From tug-of-war to brownie baking to painting, the day has something, or multiple things, for everyone. When my team (Green A.K.A., the best one) won this year, me and all my friends ran onto the gym floor together to do an Ala Viva, with the quarter of the school on our team, screaming our lungs out over a nonsense competition where the grand prize was nothing, just because we love Peddie. 

Speaking of the Ala Viva, it’s a chant that everyone at Peddie knows and we do as a school to get loud and excited for events together. When all 500 of us get together and yell it, nothing feels more Blue and Gold than that. 

The truth about traditions at Peddie is that they are what you make of them. If you think they are dumb or you wanna seem too cool for them, then you won’t have any fun, but if you throw your heart into them and are OK with being loud and silly, then they will become some of your favorite memories. 

Learn more about students’ favorite Peddie traditions.