From not participating in spirit week themes to poor attendance at school sporting events, there has been an obvious lack of school spirit here at WJ.
Last year, The Pitch wrote about how the school’s Leadership class is failing due to unpopular spirit day themes, the worsening quality of pep rallies and the atrocious Homecoming movie last year.
But although there has been a lack of motivation from school leaders and elected representatives, the real blame isn’t on the current elected officers: It’s on the whole student body.
No matter what the spirit day is, no one participates in the theme. During spirit week the hallways are supposed to be ignited with spirit, filled with the color pink or crazy hats or sports jerseys. So how come on Neon day we saw nearly every student in their typical black hoodies?
When did showing school spirit become cringe? It reveals a larger Gen-Z issue, where showing any kind of excitement is seen as “chalant” and uncool. School spirit is an obvious display of enthusiasm and is now synonymous with being obnoxious. WJ used to overflow with spirit, especially before the pandemic when students were more present. Having school spirit is one of the best parts of high school, it creates community and presents an unique opportunity to have fun at school.
Many high schools have “spirit groups” or “spirit leaders” which can be found at the heart of the school’s football student section. Take the Whit-Maniacs (Walt Whitman HS) for example, or the Red Army (Quince Orchard HS), these spirit leaders help boost a school’s morale and energy at sports games and other school events. Sometimes, having just a few students show up can galvanize the rest of the student body to participate.
Other potential solutions include incentivizing students to participate in school spirit by offering a reward system to students who are the most spirited or passionate, or making more posts and videos showcasing the students who are decked out in their WJ pride.
Here’s some good news, WJ: this lack of school spirit is fixable. We still have spirit days, pep rallies and football games to excite the student body. We have cheerleaders and an energized mascot at football games to hype fans up. So the question remains: are the Wildcats ready to go wild with their spirit?
