By Hadley Frey ’26

As we approach spring vacation and the end of the winter team, we also grow closer to one of the biggest school traditions of the year: Irving-Marshall Week. During this week, Mercersburg’s Irving and Marshall Literary Societies compete in a variety of sports and other competitions, including the highly anticipated Irving-Marshall speaking contest, Declamation.

Irving-Marshall Week is set to officially begin Sunday, March 2, with swimming and diving, and the competition will continue through Thursday, March 6, when the winner is announced. Students also have ways to engage with their societies as the week approaches, such as participating in the phonathon, where students call alumni to raise funds to show support for their society throughout the competition.

Marshall president Taimur Rehman ’25 said, “I’m so excited for Irving-Marshall Week! We’ve been working super hard, and our declaimers are ready to put on an amazing performance after working hard for nearly two months. Marshall won last year, and we’ll win again.”

Referring to the Irving Society mascot, the pig, Irving president Ryan Kothari ’25 said, “Let’s get hyped pigs! T-minus one week until the most exciting and competitive week of the year. Both societies should be hyped and ready for a showdown, although we all know who will come out victorious.”

This year’s competition will include familiar sporting events, such as swimming and diving, basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, and squash. See a full schedule of events, and watch the sporting events live at this link. 

• Sunday, March 2, 1 p.m. — Swimming and Diving
• Monday, March 3, 3:30 p.m. — Basketball
• Tuesday, March 4, 4 p.m. — Volleyball
• Wednesday, March 5, 3:30 p.m. — Dodgeball
• Thursday, March 6, 3:30 p.m. — Squash

Non-athletic events include games such as chess, pool, ping-pong, twister, foosball, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros. A new addition has also been added: BrainBowl, an intense game of trivia.

In addition to building anticipation, the societies agreed to an intense floor hockey competition, leaving Marshall as the winner and allowing them the infamous banner spot in front of the dining hall.

The week will end with Declamation, an emotional rollercoaster of speech pieces showcased by declaimers of each society. This is followed by an all-school dance, while the judges tally scores, after which Head of School Quentin McDowell P ’25, ’27 will make his way to the dance and announce the winner.

As banners and spirits rise, everyone is encouraged to follow the action on Mercersburg’s social media platforms and watch the games on the provided livestream links. Parents are invited to watch Declamation via the parent portal.