Tuesday was the 67th day of school. Cue the hand motions.

For months, Gen Alpha’s constant refrain of “6-7” has vexed teachers and boggled parents. The adults started out by asking what the viral phrase could possibly mean — and ended up just begging kids to stop saying it so often.

Faced with endless 6-7-ing, some adults tried to get in on an unknowable joke, co-opting it for Halloween costumes and analyzing it in think pieces, drawing exasperated sighs from tweens.

You can count Montgomery County Public Schools leaders among those who try to relate to the youth by getting in on their bit. The district published a video, featuring a very game Superintendent Thomas Taylor, celebrating 67 days of learning.

Rockville’s Barnsley Elementary School took it a step further.

While teachers in some parts of the country banned “6-7” because it became such a distraction, Barnsley’s administration decided to embrace it — at least on Tuesday.

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Not sure what ‘6-7’ means? That’s the point.

Nov 24, 2025

A ‘6-7′ spirit day

Principal Christine Robertson and fourth grade teacher Hayley Hollis turned Tuesday into a surprise spirit day. Staff showed up with 6s and 7s decorating their shirts, and they sent kids home with certificates recognizing them as survivors of the first 67 days of school.

Robertson said her staff’s goal is always to connect with kids. So they leaned in.

“It gives us a little bit of credibility, maybe, in their sphere,” she said.

She’s seen how much excitement these two numbers can bring when put side by side. At a recent campus bingo night, the crowd exploded when Robertson shouted out “6-7!”

Hollis spends her days surrounded by 10- and 11-year-olds, so she’s always bombarded by the latest slang. She figured the school could capitalize on this specific craze, inspired by the more traditional 100th day of school party.

“How about we celebrate the 67th day of school?” she pitched to her coworkers.

“Everyone kind of lit up like a Christmas tree about it,” Hollis said.

They did their best to make it educational, too.

Teachers discussed major events that happened in 1967. Students learned about famous athletes who wore that jersey number. They calculated math problems with a pretty obvious answer.

“One of our teachers did a creative writing essay where she asked the kids to use 67 as many times in the story — but it had to be naturally occurring,” Robertson said.

And even though the school planned a whole spirit day around it, Robertson and Hollis still couldn’t explain what 6-7 actually means.