School spirit is the crux of the high school experience. Everyone envies hype student sections at games, pep rallies with booming music, and the school that goes all out for homecoming week. It’s in every teen chick flick, and it’s what people reminisce fondly about when remembering their high school days. It’s also something that’s widely considered to be lacking at East. Since my freshman year, almost every SGA candidate has run on promises of “increasing school spirit” and more attendance at school events, whether that be performances or games. However, there is an inherent level of elitism in school events: students must have available spending money to be able to have “school spirit.”
The cost of school spirit doesn’t just come from the price of tickets to shows and games, but from many other factors. If you go to a game and don’t follow the theme, you’re “lame” and not supporting your school. While some of these themes are easily followed with items already in your closet, many more require excess spending to truly complete the look.
“I bought construction vests for $13 each because of the Chapel Hill construction-themed soccer game,” said junior Patrick Apel. “I had to get them because I love getting into the theme.”
This doesn’t stop at game themes. The entire week of homecoming is marked by daily themes, which only a small portion of our student body actually follows. A lot of these themes are easily accomplished and can just be chalked up to a lazy student body. However, to go all out and achieve a level of enviable spirit, extra purchasing is needed.
“For spirit week freshman year, I bought leopard print leggings from Old Navy that were $36,” said Nicole Murashima, SGA junior representative and school spirit aficionado.
This doesn’t mean that we should stop doing themes or going to shows and games. It just means we should think about catering our actions toward including a larger portion of our student body. We can boost spirit in our student section in other ways, through our cheers or posters, or by creating themes that students are both excited by and able to do, like colors that everyone has or painting student’s faces as they enter. This also means celebrating events created by students that don’t cost money to attend, like the East Dance Ensemble or Randomax shows during lunch, the periodic sports games that are free to attend, or even things like pep rallies and the recent basketball championship that our student government hosted.
School spirit isn’t just high attendance and matching outfits, and it doesn’t have to cost money. It’s celebrating the community our school creates and letting every student feel as though they’re a part of it.
