The audience roars with cheers and applause. The air crackles with cheering and shouting at the San Jose Civic. Amidst the joyful chaos, voices rise in shouts and clamor as the competition heats up, with each class vying for victory in challenges like limbo or the Chug-Crush Slam. Everyone is having the time of their lives, but more importantly—everyone belongs.

Over 30 years ago, beginning in 1991, Mitty students have had the pleasure of attending Monarch Madness, something Sophomore Representative Braden Clements describes as, “Spirit week—but five times more energetic, spirited, and exciting.” Every student, teacher, and staff member looks forward to the yearly competition between the four classes.

And behind the scenes, everyone involved in Student Activities is making it happen. In fact, as Braden explains, many start their earliest preparations in November: “We spend a lot of time thinking about Monarch Madness, a lot of time figuring out the plans, arranging meetings and discussions, emailing back and forth, working on the dance choreography, and creating all the murals.” Considering the budgeting alone, each class is only given $500 on costumes for 59 people. This equates to only $9 for each individual costume–a testament to the challenges the representatives face. 

Following months of planning and preparation, the “Greatest Night to Be a Monarch” finally approaches for the thirty-third time. This year, the themes are becoming more creative and diverse with the Freshmen picking Jurassic Park, Sophomores choosing Vegas, Juniors picking the Netflix horror movie Bird Box, and Seniors picking the horror mystery film, The Shining. The sophomore theme, Vegas, despite seeming odd to many, had been meticulously chosen by the Student Government. Comparable to the senior Formula 1 Racing theme last year, rather than choosing a movie, they wanted to instead focus their energy on a concept that they believe could come to life. 

So, as the activity planning, costume budgeting, and theme choosing comes to a halt, get ready to witness this spectacle unfold at the San Jose Civic Center!