In a poll conducted by Grant Magazine of the Grant High School community, when asked, the question, “Do you think school spirit is important?” 75% of respondents answered “Yes.” In their responses, community members commonly described how school spirit fosters community, inspires connections among peers and helps students feel more excited about school. Contrary to the survey’s results, many Grant students don’t participate in school spirit activities and don’t show the same enthusiasm surrounding school spirit — despite the consistent efforts of Grant’s Leadership class to promote school events. Many have reported that few people participate in spirit week activities. Homecoming Dances are mostly attended by the freshmen class, assemblies lose participation throughout the school year and some sports rarely get support from the cheerleading team.
According to Grant Leadership and Spanish teacher Nelson Perez, the lack of participation in school spirit often extends to the leadership class itself. “I wear the outfits depending on the (spirit weekday’s theme). Did I see the entire class doing that? … No, I did not,” says Perez. However, he is hopeful for the future of school spirit at Grant, noting that his class will be aiming to foster more participation at sports events and involvement in school spirit with its new committee called “The Lieutenants.” Perez says, “They are going to be the ones … waking that spirit up in all of us, beginning with our class … It’s going to be beautiful.” Organized school spirit kicked off in the early 1900s in the U.S. through pep rallies for homecoming football. The first “spirit week” in the U.S. occurred at Palo Alto High School in 1952. It was called “Paly Friendship Week,” in which students dressed up in specialized colors, performed skits and competed in fashion shows. Many other high schools and colleges in the U.S. soon joined in on this tradition to encourage school pride and unity among their students. By the 1990s, spirit weeks were observed at 75% of U.S. high schools. Today, pep rallies, assemblies and spirit weeks have become the norm in most high schools, creating a break from the monotonous academic routine.
Grant itself hosts three spirit weeks throughout the year, and its themes are advertised by the leadership class through Instagram, Trivory, posters and loudspeaker announcements. Attending sporting events is an important way of showing school spirit. Last year, Grant had multiple major turnouts in the student section of the athletic state finals events. Grant Student Body President Kazmer Zawadzki says, “We had so many state finals … so many people literally skipped a class to go watch.” However, some students, such as a varsity track and field and cross country athlete, feel that certain sports don’t receive nearly enough recognition compared to other teams at Grant. The athlete noted that the only time the cheerleading team was present at a cross-country meet last year was at the first home meet of the season, and it didn’t go as expected. “They were cheering for the football players who were practicing, instead of the cross country meet that was going on,” says the athlete.
Grant Leadership is creating its new committee to show that school spirit will always be an opportunity to unite the student body and create excitement at our school. Whether students are dressing up for spirit week, attending a sports game or watching a performing arts showcase, getting involved in Grant activities is what keeps the Generals spirit alive.
