Where'd our spirit go?
photo by sky stockton
“Sing we hail to Alma Mater, Praise by sons and daughters all. Give her victory and honor. May her banner never fall. For we love our St. Joe High School.” Our school alma mater reads with pride, but what happens when the student body doesn’t feel the same way?
School spirit is still very much alive within the halls of SJHS, but it isn’t experiencing the glory of its past. Why is this? Are the students just not as interested in sporting events and school pride as years past? Is the interest of the student body unaccounted for? Well, according to students like Dashiel Matlock, 12, school spirit is still alive and well.
“I notice school spirit. It’s on the news and people are always talking about it at lunch. Obviously, it’s easier for someone who does sports or something like that to feel more strongly about it,” Dashiel said.
“I notice school spirit. It’s on the news and people are always talking about it at lunch.
According to usnews.com, around 55% of high school students partake in a sport. So for many, the natural connection to school spirit and pride comes easier than it would for others. But for those who don’t play sports, repping the Bears in ways outside of wearing a jersey can go quite unnoticed.
School spirit is an easy concept to grasp ,but what about “student spirit”? Does the school feel pride in having its students?
And around 35% of students feel the school has ‘student spirit?’ And the frustration of not feeling the spirit on the school’s part shows with some of the less-attended events.
“Students will hype up things like the football games. Robotics, and I’m sure every other sport like tennis or soccer, feel the same way when our games/events aren’t hyped up the same way,” Dashiel said.
Our school spirit is alive and well at SJHS, but it’s during big game weeks that school spirit really grows. Weeks like the one leading up to the “War By the Shore” (streak is over) are special weeks throughout the halls of SJHS. The spirit in our school is alive; while not always visible, it breathes loudly in the weeks when we need it most.