Yes- Emily Eichberg
Stands packed to the brim, everyone decked out in red, students chanting cheers…but wait, that’s not our school.
Comparing the student section at home football games, to the student section at the Quince Orchard football games, really defines how little spirit our student body has. People are envious of the students at QO, because every Friday night looks like it’s more fun and exciting then the next.
Our student body lacks school spirit so much, it’s almost embarrassing.
When it comes to pep rallies, the freshman are typically too scared to dress up crazy and wacky for fear of being judged by the older students, the sophomores and most juniors are “too cool” to dress up and think they’re too good to be spirited. The only grade that outdoes the rest every time, is the seniors. It’s their last year as high school students, so they tend to take their spirit level to the max. The way seniors dress up should be how all the students should dress. We should not fear being judged for overdressing, but fear being judged for underdressing. “I was kind of scared to wear all of my red to the pep rally because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself in front of the seniors,” freshman Jamie Stern said.
It’s as if there is a delayed reaction for the desire to show spirit. As freshmen, still being the youngest, it can be intimidating and scary to be the loudest ones at the football game. The seniors look at the freshman, jealous that they still have high school ahead of them and even wish they still had more time. “Looking back now as a senior, I definitely wish my friends and I had dressed up for all the spirit events, because now being a senior I hate seeing the freshman not dressed up. I wish they would because it makes everything so much more enjoyable and I want them to realize before it’s too late and they’re about to graduate,” senior Lindsey Grinspoon said.
Being an active member in your community is important. Going to sporting events and rooting on your school is just another expectation we continuously fail to meet. BBQ club is another push and another way for students to get involved. It tries to encourage the student body to wear school colors, and provides dinner on Friday nights, but with over 900 members, not nearly enough of them attend Friday night games.
Even the cheerleaders agree that they don’t get as much spirit as they would like. “When I was a freshman, I was taught a cheer that the team is supposed to call and crowd is supposed to answer, but we didn’t ever do it because in past years the crowd didn’t engage enough,” sophomore cheerleader Antonia Roach said.
No- Rachel Berman
Spirit can be seen at the pep rallies, sports games, plays and other events that involve students. Students think that the only way to measure spirit is what is seen, but in reality spirit can be students attending school-sponsored events or clubs purchasing T-shirts together. Wootton definitely has spirit.
For example, pep rallies happen two times a year, and attract huge amounts of spirit and excitement from students. Students are split up by their grade level and dress in the specific grade level’s color: freshmen-red, sophomores-white, juniors-blue, seniors-red, white and blue.
Most people from each grade dress up in their designated color, and go all out. Face paint, tutus and necklaces abound. Additionally, people cheer loudly for their grade whenever there are competitions for which grade is the loudest, or competitions between the class officers to win money for special events such as junior banquet or senior prom.
Also, it is always fun to see those people in each grade who go above and beyond, and dress to the nines decked out in their grade’s color(s). “I love going to the pep rallies because everyone is so spirited and it is fun to dress up and participate in a school-wide event where students and staff can all be together,” senior Lindsay Ross said.
Sports games are also an attraction for students. Students love to get decked out in spirit wear for these games. For example, for the football games everyone either wears whatever Wootton clothes they have, or they follow the themes if there is one. The themes are usually red-out, white-out, and sometimes black-out (this is usually for the Wootton vs. Churchill game). Students also love to support the sports teams such as field hockey, handball, lacrosse and volleyball. No matter where the game is played, home or away, you are guaranteed to see Wootton kids cheering their friends and fellow classmates on. The students have an enormous amount of energy and cheer louder than anyone expects. “You can feel the energy,” senior Trent Folk said. “It is a physical presence. Sometimes I feel like the fans are the athletes and the players are watching us.”
Spirit is not only seen with these two examples. Spirit is seen when you are driving in the area and cars have writing all over saying “SEN18RS” or “Wootton Strong,” and many of them also have magnets to represent a sport they play or just saying “WHS.” Spirit is seen when clubs go out and fundraise together and students wear Wootton apparel anywhere they go.
Yes, some people will argue that this school does not have any spirit and that no one gets involved in anything but this is inaccurate. People love dressing up for pep rallies, going to sports events and cheering everyone on. “Wootton has amazing school spirit and I am so happy to be a part of it,” senior Ashley Pitt said.
