Lights, music, costumes, sequins, glitter and more glitter. From 8 a.m. on March 6 through the evening show on March 9, the hallways of Lane Tech are abuzz with all things I-Days.
“This is our fifth year doing I-Days,” said Maureen Bradish on behalf of herself and her co-sponsor, Ms. Atwood, “and we really feel like we have got it down to our system where it almost runs itself.”
For many years I-Days has drawn a crowd. “Oh, I’ve been at Lane, 24 years now, and I’ve come every year,” said Gregg Mitchell, a range teacher for Drivers Education.
Various things keep students and staff coming back year after year. “The commitment of the students who perform in I-Days never ceases to amaze me,” Bradish said. “Every single year, I am overwhelmed with their talent.”
This commitment means more than simply putting on a good show. To senior Jazz Gonzalez, the commitment built a family. “I feel like it’s very friendly and very, like, a second family to me, just in the same club for three years, you grow a lot, and you learn a lot, especially with the people that you started with,” Gonzalez said.
Despite the consistency of commitment, I-Days has changed significantly, according to Martin Nguyen, a senior in Vietnamese Club. “Definitely, when I started, it was three days, so the first day was kind of like, practice day, or, like, a break day, but then Friday comes, and then it’s, like, getting more serious and serious,” Nguyen said. “So, before, like, 3 years ago, it used to be: It gets harder and harder every day. But now it’s just straight to I-Days, and then I-Nights,” Nguyen said.
This development has not been the only one to update how I-Days is run at Lane. “When I first started, everybody had booths,” Mitchell said. “Everything was all set up.”
When the booths were in action at I-Days, they usually had cultural foods to be shared all throughout the day.
Remembering those same booths, Nissa Applequist said, “ It’s just too hard to monitor, make sure it’s safe for everyone. But it is a shame that we don’t need to have that element anymore, but for safety’s sake, I get it.”
Yet, Ms. Applequist said, “I think every new group of students brings their own energy and twists and spin to it. And clubs sometimes, they’ll disappear and reform.”
“It’s just, it’s everyone building each other up,” Dean Casey Cheatham said. “There’s lots of clubs in there that are from countries who are in the news right now. And just seeing those countries celebrated, seeing everyone together, cheering everybody on.”
For Shyla Young, a freshman, serving as a door guard from JROTC, I-Days can be improved by new additions. She said she would add “Definitely, definitely more cultures, ’cause not all the cultures are introduced.”
However Matthew Trice, a junior student council member, said I-Days will not be getting any bigger club-wise. “Next year, we’re gonna have 34 clubs participating, which is a lot,” Trice said. “We’re actually capping it at 34.”
India Club’s president, Natasha Matznik noted the difference between the gym and the auditorium. “The gym is a lot more hyped. Like, the auditorium’s super quiet, which is fine, but it’s a lot more fun to be in the gym.” Matznik said.
Having participated in I-Days for two years, Matznik said, “I think that it’s become more open.”
But for viewers like sophomore Ella Vicknair, I-Days is a moment of appreciation of friendship. “I’m so proud of my best friend. She’s killing it,” said Vicknair, of Marissa Rodriguez in ABC.
Which is something that other viewers appreciate. “Oh, I love the energy,” Applequist said. “I love seeing everyone so excited, dressed up, cheering for their classmates, cheering for their friends.”
Khadijah Khalifala, the president of Palestinian club added, “ I feel like since there’s a lot of people out there, it’s so much fun and it becomes more hype every year, especially with built confidence, like the older you get.”
Khalifala noted the same change as Ngyuen: the number of days. “The fact that they changed, it kind of makes you want to have fun, like, the only day you have,” Khalifala said.
Fellow senior member of Palestinian club Hijaz Kajra said, “I just feel like the biggest change with most people is like how strict it is to be able to perform.”
“Like, with the tardies, absences and stuff. I just feel like it should be more lenient since, like, there’s tons and tons of people that are ineligible and can’t perform. And I feel like, especially for your seniors, [you ]should be way more lenient.”
