School spirit. When you hear this, you think of football games, screaming crowds, posters and people all decked out in green and gold. Or you think about the lack of school spirit during homecoming week. Maybe you think it’s dumb, or maybe you absolutely love it, or you may not even have an opinion on it. Wherever you stand, you should know that it’s really quite important in that it brings us together and makes us do better in various activities throughout our school.

I used to have the negative mentality that school spirit is pointless, thinking that taking pride in your school was a waste of energy and time. But then I started high school. Beginning of freshman year I was full of school spirit, and because I was I did everything I could so that our school could win. However, as freshman year went on, I felt as if we didn’t need school spirit because no one was doing it and I couldn’t see any of the benefits. Now, as a sophomore, I’ve got a different view on school spirit.

School spirit is really important to a school’s population, from the students, the parents and even to the faculty. In fact it brings people together, and creates a bond between students and even between students and family. The fact is, our students are a divided group of people. We all have different opinions and ideas of what’s right and wrong and hats considered cool and what isn’t. When we find a common goal, even something as simple as wanting our football team to win, not only do we become closer to one another but school spirit shown by fellow classmates also fuel support and gives athletes a sense of confidence.

Every competitive team or club at our school has one thing in common: a rival team. There’s nothing wrong with some healthy competition. It makes people want to be better and work harder. Especially in sports, school spirit can be really important if you want to succeed. If players have no faith in their team and no support for themselves, they’re really not going to do the best they can. School spirit gives students and faculty a belief in this community, that we can go forward. With that mindset, we will surely be able to do so.

In my high school experience so far, I’ve come to realize school spirit is much more than just posters and chants. It makes us work harder, giving us some healthy competition. I’ve come to find that having school spirit also brings people together. It doesn’t matter if you’re on the football team, if you really hate the color green or even if you’re graduating soon – school spirit is a truly important factor in our lives and impacts every single one of us. So the next time there’s a sporting event or a theme week, just have some fun and participate, knowing you’re doing more than showing up and dressing up. I really believe that the sooner you realize the importance and joy of school spirit, the better time in high school you’ll have. Plus, from personal experience, it’s a lot of fun to put paint on your face and “go bananas.”