By Alanna Fichtel
As Spirit Week and Rebel Olympics came and went, it became quite evident that our school lacks enthusiasm and spirit.
Even though our school hosts many events to drum up spirit, the participation at those events needs work. For example, during Spirit Week students were encouraged dress for a daily theme. From sports day to lazy day, students had the chance to wear something fun to school that they wouldn’t usually wear.
Spirit Week is a good way to make the school week more interesting than usual. At least it’s supposed to be. However, many students aren’t interested. Last year as a freshman, I was told that most people don’t dress up. During Spirit Week, I saw this to be completely true. I was surprised, partly because in middle school Spirit Week was an event almost everyone was excited about. It was disappointing to see that this excitement didn’t carry over into high school.
Because of the lack of spirit leading up to Rebel Olympics, it is not so surprising that Rebel Olympics faces a similar problem. At Rebel Olympics, all the grades compete against each other in various activities. Since it is one of the biggest events in our school, it seems hard to believe that students wouldn’t want to support their grade or at least watch the event. However, many students don’t want to participate in the events at Rebel Olympics, and many don’t even want to go.
Sophomore Sharon Glick said, “When kids say events like Rebel Olympics aren’t fun, it only makes the problem worse because it causes other kids to believe it won’t be fun.” Additionally, many students and teachers put a great deal of time and energy into preparing for Rebel Olympics, and it is disappointing when student turnout is low.
Part of the problem is that some students don’t even really know what Rebel Olympics is and don’t know what they can do to help their grade. Therefore, students must do a better job raising awareness.
For example, when the boys basketball team competed in the playoffs a few weeks ago, many students emphasized the need to support the team and the importance of the game. Their attempts to kindle support resulted in a great turnout for the big game. Accordingly, school-wide events should be publicized in a way that shows how exciting they can be. For example, showing a video of Rebel Olympics from previous years may lead more kids to want to attend or participate.
It is a shame that our school organizes entertaining events and students don’t want to be involved. More support for and participation in school events and activities is a vital first step for improving school spirit; furthermore, greater school pride would make school events more exciting for all.