Posted by By Emma Schwarz & Esme Keon, Staff Writers
Spirit week in high schools all across America is a prominent part of the high school experience, but school spirit at New Paltz High School is lacking. Our school spirit needs to be more of a focal point among students to improve the atmosphere and unity of our school. While we see other schools overflowing with streamers and banners in the halls and students parading and chanting through the halls, at New Paltz High School we have posses of students huddled together not participating. Not only homecoming but the winter and spring spirit weeks and dances. These events are carefully thought out by members of our student body and deserve the input by the students and faculty. Although it’s been found that we’ve had a slow increase in school spirit during recent years, there is still a long way to go when it comes to student participation.
“When one person doesn’t participate, it creates a group of people who don’t participate…”
Sadie Lauchaire
Sadie Lauchaire, student government vice president, gives the perspective of an officer regarding students with low participation. “For us as a club, putting work towards school spirit, it’s unfortunate when people don’t participate, because when one person doesn’t participate, it creates a group of people who don’t participate, which prevents us from making the most of spirit week.”
Spirit week starts with our student government. Spirit day themes, community lunch, and pep rally is carefully planned and thought out by the members and officers of the club, which has been meeting every week, even before school for the club officers. The planning consists of organizing what each club will sell at community lunch, finding teachers to volunteer for the dunk tank, games for the pep rally, deciding on spirit days students will enjoy, posters for each class, decorating the hallways, music, and much more. The hard work and effort from the club makes student participation even more important. For those who have any opinions on spirit week, or anything else student government handles, each meeting reserves time for an open forum for students to voice their opinion, whether you’re a part of the club or not. There is also a QR code with a google form for any suggestions for student government on posters around the school.
When asked how she would describe the atmosphere during spirit week Sienna Manco, high school junior says how, “School has a very happy, exciting environment during spirit week, and people participating and dressing up for spirit days, it’s really fun for people, and the enthusiasm during that time is up and it makes people get really hyped for the pep rally. When everybody’s participating it makes me feel a sense of pride for my school, and I feel very spirited.” Thanks to the hard work of our student government the student body is able to enjoy themselves at events like homecoming and spirit weeks.
As most could notice both as students in the high school, and as teachers observing
student participation in spirit week, participation increases with each grade. The shy, uncertain freshmen class each year will presumably have less school spirit than the seniors enjoying all of their lasts and making the most out of their year.
Most of us are on the bleachers during pep rally, but “If you’re down on the field during pep rally and you look up at the stands, we look at the freshmen, and they’re wide-eyed, and then you see the juniors and seniors really cheering and getting into it, and cheering for all the events, where as for the freshman, it’s their first time figuring things out” Ms. Costello, one of the student government advisors, tells us.
Homecoming spirit week is obviously leading up to our homecoming football game, evoking excitement and school spirit in the football team, but there is also a noticeable correlation between school spirit and other athletes in the school. Positive attitude and pride in your team is a huge part of being an athlete, making the correlation between the two a no-brainer.
Ms. Masseo, JV girls soccer coach and teacher at the high school gives her input on the correlation between being an athlete and participation in spirit week. “I definitely think that sports teams show a little more support and excitement and build more of a fan base, so to speak, than others. I think some of that is the nature of competition, people want somebody to cheer for and there’s the ‘us vs. them’ mentality, so sports have an environment of competition, which people get excited for. The rivalry, it’s fun! It’s part of our culture that we value athletics.”
High school is four, very short years of your life, as many seniors can attest to. Four years of experiences you’ll most likely never have again, and spend lots of time wishing you could go back. Participating in spirit weeks and school events will only benefit yourself and those around you. In our divided world, uniting our school by participating will only bring good memories and an uplifting atmosphere for our school.
A word of advice from a future graduate of 2025, and student government secretary, Maeve Eisenhandler: “Dress up. Have fun. Don’t feel the peer pressure that you shouldn’t want to do this and it’s too embarrassing, because it’s going to be embarrassing when you’re looking back and you’re not in any pictures from high school, because you’re not having fun.” – Maeve Eisenhandler
The Maroon 