We Got Spirit! Yes, We Do?

Today is game day; the bleachers are crowded with cheering students as the players sprint up the court. The sound of footfalls deafening against the floor, the basketball is a blur passing from hand to hand. The excitement is palpable and electrifies the gym to standing as the shooting guard positions himself to take the shot that might make or break the game. The mascot bounds up and down and the coach shouts and all the noise rises to a single, collective mosaic of consciousness…!
Such powerful sentiment and reaction is a byproduct of a healthy and well-functioning school culture.

Spirit in secondary schools, however, is a tenuous thing; many factors, both internal and external, directly relate to how integrated a student feels to their school’s identity. Instead of your athletic teams, it is easy for apathy to become reigning regional champion.

Russell Blower, a grade 12 at Thomas Haney Secondary School, can see this trend happening. “The idea of the school as a single entity is nearly non-existent,” he says, “given the lack of school specific clubs and groups.” He believes that besides the general athletics and artistic departments, the lack of more specified extracurricular gatherings outside of schools, such as debate clubs, chess clubs and environmental action groups, are what is making it difficult for students to band together as an unified body.

Caitlin Stickelmann, another grade 12 from THSS, attributes decline of school spirit to outside pressure. “So many people, myself included,” she says, “have jobs, music, sports and volunteering outside of school; the stress of which has come out in the form of not wanting to add anymore to their plate, especially when schoolwork has piled so much on top already.” She says that the lack of grade representation in school clubs, especially in the younger levels, contribute to a decrease in participation. She says of the lower grades: “Grade eights can be intimidated by the seniors, whether they give them reason to or not.

As they grow and move up the academic ladder, some will 'come out of their shell' and contribute and participate in the many school events planned during the year. However, because we come into the high school culture with this mindset [of detachment] many do not, and are content with watching from afar.”
How healthy a school’s spirit is relies heavily upon the quality of years of precedence and maintenance. Russell believes that should a renaissance of academic, artistic and athletic culture in secondary schools ever be conceived, an attitude overhaul of what school is about will be in order. “In order to raise school spirit, the school as a whole would need to start being more vocal and more involved. Stop treating school as a place solely to prepare for post-secondary, and give it the respect it deserves.”