At Hoover High School, there is an unfortunate lack of school spirit. At school games, events, and on spirit weeks there is a noticeable absence in student excitement and participation.
Although school spirit can be defined in many different ways, it is widely accepted to mean having and showing pride in one’s school. At Hoover, there are many different ways to express Cardinal Pride such as going to games, dressing up for spirit week, wearing Hoover merchandise, and going to school events. With many opportunities for students to express their pride, why is there a general shortage in student participation?
One of the biggest factors for the lack of school spirit is the cost. The price to attend football games has gone up and many students feel like they are too expensive and not worth $10. Many students also feel like there are better things to spend $25-$40 on rather than going to a school dance. The majority of students don’t have jobs and money, especially when getting money from their parents. There are many other things that students would rather spend money on. The truth is, if these school events were free, or at a lower cost, more students would possibly take part.
The lack of school spirit can also be attributed to an unfortunate student culture. Currently, teenagers are embarrassed to put themselves out there and be perceived as trying too hard. Particularly during spirit week, the themes that are seen as too difficult or nontraditional, do not encourage students to try something new but instead discourages them from participating at all. According to Emily Garcia, a sophomore at Hoover many students don’t dress up for spirit week because they feel awkward or judged.
“When you actually dress up it feels like everyone is staring at you,” remarked Emily.
If there were more affordable and more interesting events more students would participate. Better, easier spirit week themes would also encourage more people to try. School spirit is important for students to feel more connected to their school and is a good way to make school more fun. Ms. Riego, CODE RED’s club advisor, believes school spirit is essential for a more encouraging campus culture.
“When students care about school spirit, it affects their classroom engagement and leads them to get involved in school,” expressed Ms. Riego.
For students who want to be more involved in school spirit, going to CODE RED meetings is a great way to start. CODE RED, a student spirit club, meets every Thursday in room 1258 at lunch.
