On a bitterly cold day in New England, Explo Headquarters joined forces with devoted alumni around the globe to celebrate Explo Spirit Day 2013. Held annually on the third Wednesday in January, Explo Spirit Day provides Explo alumni--students, faculty, staff--a chance to demonstrate pride by wearing Explo colors, Explo lanyards, and other Explo props and gear. Capped off by a multi-category photo contest, this year’s Explo Spirit Day was a lively worldwide reunion of Explo folks young, very very young, not-quite-as-young, and canine.

Originally founded and annually organized by super alumnus David Gumins, Explo Spirit Day generally attracts upwards of a thousand participants. Fueled by the Facebook group My Life is Explo (MLIE), the mission of Explo Spirit Day is to recpature the magic of Explo and demonstrate enthusiasm for the Explo community in a fun and tangible way.

This year, we received photos from Colombia, Connecticut, Japan, Florida, Massachusetts, and more. Students attended school in their lanyards and headbands, faculty members went to work in visors and sunglasses, and full-time Explo employees, dressed head-to-toe in orange, and congregated at HQ for a brainstorm on courses (and ate an orange lunch.).
 

At Explo, being spirited and silly is serious business. Our fearless leader donned an orange jumpsuit for the occasion, while Program Heads swathed themselves in orange drapery, ate neon orange cheeseballs, and pushed a monkey in an orange stroller, respectively. In other bubbles of celebration, student alumni wore handmade Explo Iggy sweatpants and manicured their nails in summer color. Explo “lifers” proudly displayed collections of lanyards, while those newer to the family clutched reverently to their first.