Intramurals, a beloved UA tradition, has existed for decades of our school’s history. Current teachers who attended Ursuline share their favorite past themes from their high school Intramurals experiences.
Rebecca Holterhoff teaches in the theology department and graduated from Ursuline in 2005. During her freshman year, her class theme was “Legally Green” to match the freshman grade color, the same color that the freshmen wear today.
Next came “Harry Potter and the Sophomore Stone” for her sophomore year. “I enjoyed this theme because we had a ‘Harry Potter’ theme day, and the book, movie and music are fun. There were lots of pieces to include in our hallway and mural as well,” Holterhoff said.
For junior year, the class of 2005 did “Ferris Junior’s Day Off” based on the 1986 comedy “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” The last theme was “Seniorella,” where the beloved Disney princess Cinderella was the main character.
Although most Intramurals traditions have remained the same in the last decade, Holterhoff identified a few key differences. For instance, the different grades have not always made videos showcasing their theme’s storyline. “Instead of showing videos in the gym, we put on skits—it was very difficult to hear and follow along,” she said.
Moreover, built-in workdays were not offered yet at Ursuline. Holterhoff said. “Everything had to be completed after school.”
Math department chair and teacher Tammy Yung did not graduate from the Ursuline school in Dallas. She attended Ursuline Academy of St. Louis, however, and later came to teach at the Dallas location. From her experience observing the tradition here, she most loves watching the videos displayed. “It’s so fun to see all the creative ideas that you guys can come up with,” Yung said.
Rachel Davies, meanwhile, graduated in 2007 and now teaches English. Her freshman theme, “007 License to Thrill,” incorporated her graduation year while referencing the 1989 James Bond movie “License to Kill.” The freshmen were Jane Bond rather than James Bond in order to portray the “international girl of mystery” according to Davies.
For the next year, “Tour de Soph (Livesoph)” took place at the height of Lance Armstrong’s LIVESTRONG campaign. The theme was based on the Tour de France race, so for the skit students raced each other on tricycles around Neuhoff. Other grade levels were represented as fellow racers.
As juniors, they decided to depict themselves as the classic red-clothed videogame character Super Mario. According to the plot, Junior Mario rescued Peach—the character who represented the senior class—from Senioritis Bowser. Davies said, “Freshmen were Luigi (little sisters and all that), and sophomores were Wario.”
Finally, to conclude her Ursuline experience, Ms. Davies’ class chose to name itself “The Senior of Notre Dame.” Seniors played Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. “From what I remember, we were the first class to have to wear lanyards, and this was a protest in the tamest way possible,” Davies said. “We complained about the lanyards and backpacks ruining our backs and necks.”
Ms. Davies enjoyed her senior year theme even though, in her opinion, it had the least direct plot. She said, “That was the year my class finally really came together on all the different aspects, but especially Spirit. It is more than somewhat responsible for my philosophy that no matter how weird something is, if you all lean into it, it gets way more fun.”
Despite that Intramurals has changed in some ways, students still consider it to be a highlight of their Ursuline experience. The tradition, focusing on bringing girls closer, will engrave itself into our memories and make a lasting impact on our lives.
