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Where’s the spirit?
Uncategorized November 1, 2019 Comments Off on Where’s the spirit?by Benjamin Wengerd
It’s homecoming week, but you couldn’t tell from walking through the halls of Goshen High School. Hardly anybody is dressed in spirit wear.
The atmosphere about GHS is toxic and there’s little to no school spirit. Why is this? Where did the spirit go?
Does this generation just not care?
That doesn’t seem to be the case as students from other high schools are crazy when it comes to supporting their school in everything that it’s involved in. Student sections at games go nuts, going all out for spirit week before homecoming and pep rallies that are rowdy and loud. However, when it comes to GHS, it is the complete opposite. Hardly anybody seems to be proud of their school and how they’re represented, especially at sporting events.
“It’s very different from my old school down in Texas,” said junior football player and track athlete, Liam Deegan. “I went to a school called David Crockett high school in Austin. Everything was a bigger deal, especially revolving around football. People actually enjoyed going to pep rallies, and homecoming was a much bigger deal than it is here.”
While GHS host events like homecoming, pep rallies, and spirit week, the response from the student body is lacking.
“You can definitely tell that in general, there just isn’t as much support going around for all the different teams,” said Deegan. “Back in Texas, there wasn’t really ever people arguing about which sports team is better. We all supported each other. It just seemed like everybody was really connected.”
This is a far cry from years past. Many of Goshen’s alumni can vouch for the increased spirit that the student body had.
“[School spirit] has changed a lot, but the school has changed a lot and students have changed a lot,” says Jenny Clark, a teacher and GHS alumna. “When I think back to 25 years ago, crowds at events were bigger. The excitement leading up to big things, that was bigger. Our attention was focused on those things instead of being spread out over other areas. I wish Goshen cheered on all of Goshen, instead of it just becoming a ‘what about our group thing.’”
Not only is there little school spirit, but it seems as though there is constantly groups of students butting heads over something.
“We should all be celebrating each other,” said Clark. “Not putting each other’s groups down. I think if we truly did that we’d see school spirit in general increase.”
Whether it is school related or not, it always seems that there is constant arguing and division within the student body. The answer to why is hard to pinpoint as it doesn’t seem as though many other student populations have the same amount of drama and vitriol runs rampant consuming GHS.
“I think we need to learn to empathize with each other,” said Clark. “All groups work hard. If you say ‘our group works so much harder than someone else,’ then you are creating a larger divide. All the groups want to be successful. When it becomes a ‘you’re getting more than you deserve,’ you’re creating a larger divide.”
Regardless, it’s clear that school spirit in recent years has been lacking. It’s up to the students to bring it back. Everybody works hard at what they’re involved in, whether that be sports, music, or just with schoolwork.
Students should build each other up, not tear each other down.