Four hard-working Grade 12 students from Alberni District Secondary School are stepping up their game to run for Totem Spirit this winter.
Jace Fedirchuk, Jaymi Hocking, Robby Koszegi and Lia Organ are coming into the annual competition for various reasons, but they all want one thing: to bring the ultimate Totem Spirit to the Alberni Valley. Totem Spirit runs in the weeks leading up to the annual basketball tournament, which at year 68 is the longest running in British Columbia.
Totem Spirit candidates drum up excitement in the tourney in the school and broader community prior to the opening game and then straight through the weekend. The Totem Spirit winner is crowned just after the final basketball game is decided, Saturday night of Totem weekend.
Fedirchuk views Totem Spirit as a chance for him to do something for his school before he graduates. “I’ve never really done much to be involved in the school. As I’m in my Grade 12 year, I realized I want to have something related to high school that I can look back on,” he said. “I thought Totem would be a great way of doing it, involving my friends.”
Fedirchuk is involved in a few sports with the ADSS Athletic Department, playing rugby and hockey. “I get along with the basketball guys, I don’t play on the basketball team,” he added.
Koszegi also decided Totem Spirit would be a great way to mark his graduating year. “I haven’t exactly done much in my school years. I want Grade 12 to go with a bang. I want to make an impact in the school and the community this year,” he said. “I went to the previous Totems and they were a blast.”
Hocking knew she wanted to be a Totem candidate for her Grade 12 year. “After being involved in leadership for the past four years and being involved with Totem for the last five, since Grade 8, I’ve seen all the behind the scenes, I’ve been to every single game at Totem,” she said. She loves the high energy levels, and says she’s had a good view of past tournaments behind the camera, photographing the events.
“Everybody’s so excited to be there. It’s just a crazy experience.”
Organ has been involved in Totem for the past six years. She was in Grade 7 and on the mini-dance, mini-cheer team when she first participated in the annual basketball tournament, and was hooked. “That was a cool experience, so when I came to the high school I knew I wanted to be a part of dance team, and Totem is one of our biggest events. Being able to participate in that for my full high school career has been amazing.”
Organ was Totem Spirit campaign manager in 2022-23 for Sophia Bill, so she has some experience with the event. “Getting to see the behind-the-scenes of running and how we can affect our school, influence our community, was amazing. That was one of the main reasons why I ran,” she said.
Koszegi says he’s expecting a lot from this year’s tourney. “Totem is the best event of the whole entire year because it brings the whole community together. There’s so much energy and school spirit, and we have great teams.”
Hocking echoed the other candidates when she said both the ADSS basketball teams are doing well. “I’m expecting two big trophies this year,” she said. “I’m expecting another packed gym, super loud, super energetic. The pep band looks really big this year.”
“I’ve watched the senior girls play and they’ve had a great season so far,” Fedirchuk said. “The senior boys are really good and…hopefully we’ll have two trophies, like Jaymi said.
“The cheer teams have been working hard, they looked pretty good at practice. I’m sure we’ll have some good halftime shows,” he added.
Organ is expecting “amazing” things from Totem 68, which kicks off Jan. 11, 2024 and concludes Jan. 13. “The community loves it; it’s an amazing event. Getting to see our school rally behind our basketball teams, our pep band, our cheer team and our dance teams, it’s going to be a blast.
“I think it’s going to be one of our best yet.”
