Let’s show our Tiger spirit! Graphic courtesy of junior Emily Kohler.

  At San Luis Obispo High School we have a serious lack of school spirit. Nobody except for staff and ASB dress up for spirit days. For many sports at SLOHS, the stands are empty. Students regularly demonstrate a lack of respect for the campus and their peers by destroying school property and littering everywhere. How can we change people’s attitudes toward their school and create an environment of care?

  “By showing school spirit, you make school that extra bit more fun. I find school much more fun and amusing when I’m given the opportunity to show up to all my classes in a giant pink bathrobe,” said junior and ASB Executive Council member Leo DeTurris.

  Spirit days and similar events allow students to engage with their school in a positive way and add a little fun to what is probably a stressful day.

  A national survey of over a thousand students and several hundred parents and faculty members found similar results. Students who displayed more school spirit were found on average to be 91 percent more confident, 88 percent happier, and 87 percent more active in their communities compared to less spirited peers. 92 percent of principals surveyed also felt that there was a connection between school spirit and high student achievement.

  Simply put, when you feel connected to your peers and proud of the school you attend, you will find more fulfillment in your high school experience.

  “Getting involved creates a sense of community and just makes you feel better about yourself, to be honest. It’s not cool to be a loser. You’re not cool if you sit in the back of the bleachers and just make fun of people,” said junior Sofia Sison.

  Some students, however, choose not to get involved because they feel judged by their peers.

  “If you’re really showing out for a spirit day, it seems out of the ordinary. People don’t say anything to your face, but they will make little comments with their friend groups like, ‘Oh my God, do you see that person over there with a costume on?’‘” said junior Junior Moctezuma.

  All this means is that we need to work on fostering a more positive and caring environment at SLOHS. Our school needs to make it the norm to get hyped at sporting events, dress up for spirit days, and have some actual pep at our pep rallies.

  “When you get down to it, spirit comes from people enjoying and being excited about their high school experience, and that can’t be created by just having more events and spirit days. Something about those events has to fundamentally change, whether it be making them more exciting, engaging, entertaining, or enjoyable. Nobody is going to show school spirit when they don’t have to, or aren’t actually even spirited enough in the first place to make an effort to pretend that they are,” said DeTurris.

  Tigers, the next time we have a spirit day, dress up! If we have a sporting event, go and cheer for SLOHS! If you put in the effort to get more involved in our school, we will be one step closer to a more positive, connected schoolwide environment.

Source: casciac.org