Coming off of homecoming season, some students say there’s been a noticeable decrease in school spirit, leading to a sense of apathy and disinterest among the student body.
Senior Kianna Ayala said that when she was an underclassman, she felt more inclined to participate in spirit week, but hasn’t felt the same her senior year because of a lack of advertising, creating a pattern of not finding out about events until they are already over. Ayala said that because of this, she has felt an overall lack of interest in attending school events.
“I would do spirit week during my freshman year, but that was because teachers would always remind you,” Ayala said. “But now, teachers don’t really do that, and so I feel like more students aren’t inspired to dress up.”
After attending the homecoming dance, Ayala said she was disappointed by the event, particularly the activities in the small gym and the baseball theme. Ayala said she wishes the theme could have been more inclusive to more people’s interests and that if students had more input, there would be more school spirit.
“They should actually get input from students, what they want to do for spirit week. Then maybe, if the students agree on that, more people would dress up,” Ayala said. “Because I feel like it’s more based on the StuCo team and what they want to decide, not what the students as a
whole want.”
Tasked with planning events, junior StuCo representative Quinn Schroeder said that StuCo has been working to increase school spirit by introducing inclusive events like the carnival at the Homecoming dance and activities that don’t require a team, such as trivia night. Schroeder also said that StuCo has been implementing Instagram polls to gauge student interest and include their suggestions.
“My main goal is to make sure that everyone has a good time in the four years that they’re in high school,” Schroeder said. “That can look different for everyone. So our goal as Student Council is to make sure that those people have an opportunity to be a part of their school.”
When freshman Collette Colvin entered high school, she said she noticed a higher level of school spirit, especially at sporting events, compared to her previous school, St. John Catholic School. Colvin said that when she’s at an event and the crowd is energized, it boosts her overall mood and encourages her to participate.
“[School spirit] helps me get the most out of my high school experience by encouraging me to go get involved and do things, because a lot of people have a lot of spirit, and so it makes me want to be involved,” Colvin said.
Schroeder said that as a major part of adolescence, a student’s pride in their high school gives them a sense of belonging and connection with their peers that they wouldn’t otherwise have and creates a positive experience for four years of their lives.
“You’re here for the next four years. This is where you go for eight hours of your day,” Schroeder said. “So by joining those things, by doing the school spirit days and going to those outside activities, it gives you more connections with other groups of people.”
