PUKALANI-A fire was brewing up at Kamehameha Schools Maui today as high school students poured in wearing element-inspired outfits to kick off spirit week. Homecoming and its fun dress-up days are back, and today’s element was fire.

The theme for Spirit Week this year is “elements unite,” and for that students dress up in their homemade creations to represent a different element each day — fire, wind, water and earth. Freshmen through seniors earn spirit points for dressing up, and at the end of the week, the class with the most points from among all the Spirit Week activities (including dressing up) wins.

“The best part of Spirit Week would have to be the competitions because it shows what class has the most spirit,” junior Luke Batoon said.

Today’s competition was the Battle of the Bands where each class played a song or medley of songs at Keōpūolani Hale in front of the entire high school.

The freshmen made their debut to the world of Spirit Week and proved worthy contenders playing their rendition of “My Love For You” by Manaliʻi and “Every Little Thing” by J Boog.

“I thought, for freshmen, my classmates did awesome. It was their best, and they represented 2015 with pride,” said Carly Kiaha.

The seniors played the Maroon 5 songs “Sunday Morning” and “This Love” along with “Just Along for the Ride” by Canoe Club. The entire senior class emptied their seats in the back and crowded the front of the stage as they sang along.

“It felt good, I feel that the crowd was giving off a lot of energy, and that really helped the band get back on our feet, despite our messups here and there,” said Phillip Nishioka, guitarist for the senior band.

The sophomores rocked the house with a well-rehearsed medley of songs that included the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” and the juniors, with Maleko Lorenzo and Aaron Dela Cruz on lead vocals and Maya Nitta and Lindsay Watson on back-up, filled the house with mellow music that had everyone swaying along.

With much surprise to all, the curtain opened a final time, and teachers from all grade levels came together to perrform the B-52s “Love Shack.” Nā Kumu Kapulani and Lōkahi Antonio, Kuʻulei Alcomindras-Palakiko and Ms. Camille Romero worked the mics; Misters Dale Nitta and Duane Iwamura on electric guitar, Mr. Siuai Laufou on saxophone, Mr. Kaholo Rickard  on drums and Kumu Kalei Aarona-Lorenzo on bass played back-up; and Ms. Kalena Laepaa, Ms. Kye Haina, and Coach Bala Spencer were the featured dancers.

The crowd went wild with excitement. Everyone stood, cheered and danced while the teachers rocked out in their far-out 60’s clothing.

“My favorite part of today was Battle of the Bands because it was cool to see all of the teachers participate in Spirit Week,” senior Angel Fontaine said.

To start today’s assembly, Mr. Laufou’s pop rock band set the mood with a couple of jazzy numbers, and student government officers Christopher Kim and Kaleihoku Kubota kept the audience entertained in between the acts with games like Gimmee Gimmee and Cookie Face Race.

The other elements for the rest of the week are as follows:

• Tomorrow- Wind
• Wednesday-Water
• Thursday-Earth
• Friday-Class Color Day

“I’m looking forward to boys cheerleading because it finally came back, and it’s always funny,” senior Kūnihi Antonio said.