The typical exciting pep rallies and lively sporting events at most high schools aren’t a common scene at Midtown. After tolerating lackluster school spirit from previous years, Midtown’s students and administration are attempting to bring back the much-needed pride.
School spirit is an important factor in making students feel proudly connected to their school. While Midtown has seen some student involvement in the past, it has not been enough to facilitate a true student culture.
A large cause of the lack of spirit can be attributed to Midtown’s administration. In previous years, Midtown staff hasn’t facilitated spirited events; this includes being limited in their hosting of pep rallies, assemblies, student sections and other activities.
Compared to other schools, Midtown is severely inferior in terms of morale with other schools that have mascots, weekly pep rallies and a strong overall student culture. Having school spirit is one of the biggest differences that unites the community and makes a high school experience memorable, instead of primarily academic-based.
During the 2023-24 school year, only one pep rally was hosted, lasting for about five minutes, as the event was hosted as a walk-through in the hallways, leaving many students disappointed due to its lack of traditionality and enthusiasm. Moreover, last year’s spirit weeks were only half-heartedly participated in and the stands were left empty at the vast majority of athletic events.
However, to kick off the first football game of the 2024-25 year, the admin team hosted a more traditional pep rally in the stadium with participation from the band, cheer team, dance team, football team and other sports, which successfully sparked more excitement from the students. The absence of school-oriented spirited events has negatively affected students in previous years, but administration specifically has the opportunity to pick up morale this year.
This uptake in morale continued into the year with spirit week. At the beginning of the week, administration supplied decorating materials for each grade level to compete in a hallway decorating competition. They encouraged students to participate in outfit themes by calculating a point system to make the most spirited grade level win. These activities have not been offered in previous years, but significantly helped build excitement and arguably increased participation from students.
The rise of the “Midtown Dungeon,” a student-run Instagram account that aims to promote the attendance of athletic events, has been crucial in the resurgence of Midtown’s school spirit. Started at the beginning of the school year, the account now has over 300 followers and has brought significantly large crowds to many sports, including football and volleyball. The account informs students about upcoming games and themes and encourages excitement for events.
The Midtown Dungeon has built a school culture that had been otherwise limited in prior years. Students are more excited to support teams, attend games and be a part of a student section they feel connected to, as seen in the crowds. Students have been following the lead of the Instagram account, creating huge crowds of support to athletic events that the account promotes.
Overall, having school spirit present is crucial in creating a memorable high school experience. Students have so far created a community to facilitate this valuable connection, but the administration staff needs to continue to contribute to the growth of student culture as well, instead of focusing on solely academic culture. This push for a spirited school will create an overall more positive and exciting school environment.
