Spirit Week used to be my favorite time of year. The expectation of seeing student upon student garbed in eccentric fashion choices used to define my homecoming week. The enthusiasm of colorful students would tremendously surpass the negativity of their counterparts. Such fervor has always been an inspiration to me, filling me with bubbly, giddy pride.
Until this year.
From the moment I heard the news about Spirit Week choices, I started planning my outfits. Not usually a sports fan, I threw together a mismatched, overwhelmingly purple combination of a Ravens jersey, vibrant tights, and eye-catching accessories. With no tie-dye to my name, I got creative, borrowing and scavenging for bright, startling patterns and colors.
Taking after the admirable alumni of years passed, I went over the top in my choices, anxious to stand out among my fellow students and prove my school spirit.
I entered the cafeteria expecting to be immersed in similar enthusiasm; all I encountered was roomful of significantly drab, melancholy students.
Shocked at my findings, I quickly investigated, anxious to find an explanation. The school spirit that encompassed Middletown High School for years had suddenly disappeared, and I needed a reason.
Some people I asked said they did not get overly involved in Spirit Week because they simply were not school spirited.
What is not to be spirited about?
With the best test scores in the county, a passionate, helpful group of staff members, and resources that far outreach many in surrounding schools, how can school spirit elude anyone?
Admittedly, MHS is not perfect. With dramatic changes in policies and administrators this year, the school may not be running as smoothly as in the past. MHS sports teams do not have perfect records, nor are one-hundred percent of the hot lunch gourmet. Hallways, especially on Fridays, may not be as clean or aesthetically pleasing as most students would wish; the vast, rapidly growing MHS population can make moving from class to class overly crowded at times.
For students who see their school as glass-half-empty, yes, MHS can be viewed as a dreary, unwelcome place.
Apparently, this year these negative students far surpass the pride that everyone should possess.
MHS has recently been granted a new, beautiful stadium, well-equipped with the best money can buy.
A wide array of activities and clubs are available to anyone eager to participate, as are extensive learning resources which, although not always available, are here to support the student population.
MHS teachers are dedicated and hard-working. A day does not go buy when one does not see a teacher staying after to help a student with a challenging homework assignment or concept. Many are also involved in extracurricular activities, eager to spend their free time helping their students grow in non-academic areas.
These valuable, available resources have boosted MHS to the top of the standardized testing charts. It has teacher-of-the-year finalists, regionally and nationally acclaimed artists, musicians, and athletes, and is hosting an out-of-this-world pep rally just for fun.
As strange as it may seem, MHS is a wonderful school. Far too many are unaware of how much they take their school for granted, even though it is perfectly clear that they are well-immersed in a strong, positive environment.
For some people, school spirit is not high on their priority list. Outfitting themselves in original, at times outlandish clothes may not be something that everyone wants to partake in.
One thing that every student can participate in is an optimistic attitude. Apparently, it is far too easy to take something as wonderful as a cultivating, positive environment for granted.
I have sympathy for that large percentage of students who chose not to participate in Spirit Week. They missed out on not only a fun, different way to spend an ordinarily boring week, but on an open-minded, optimistic point of view.