You might wear purple on Fridays and gold paint on your face to home games but have you ever thought about the importance of school spirit? Most of the students here at Winter Springs High School show their school spirit plenty. However, this uncovers many questions: How important is it to have school spirit? How important are events to the atmosphere of a school? 

While many students like to say it’s about school pride, what is the root of it? Why do we all put forth effort to wear the same color? We took these issues to the courtyard to ask our own students what they believe. 

Kiley Vanness, a junior at Winter Springs High, takes a stand.

“It’s extremely important to have school spirit because it allows for school unity and an awareness of how important our community is to our high school.” said Vanness. “It lets everyone know we’re all in this together.”

With this, it isn’t simply based upon only the people in the high school. Lots of people tend to forget that our biggest supporters are the parents of all the students and the people who reside in our town; many of them match our purple shirts, too. 

William Hevia, a freshman, also brings an important point to the table.

“It’s very important to have events in school. If you keep kids in classrooms for seven hours a day with nothing to look forward to they’re going to get bored and they might do something stupid; it keeps them out of trouble.”

Imagine how boring it would be to go about the school year with no pep rallies, no fundraisers, and no homecoming theme weeks. Events and activities allow students to be continually engaged in school and might even make students excited about school. You never know, it might help more than you think.

Although, here’s the bigger question: What does school spirit mean to you?

Elle Penn, a sophomore, explains it’s about working hard.

“I think it’s about doing my best in school, I’m presenting my school with a positive attitude and I’m contributing to making the school better.” 

Jordan Kania, a freshman, says it’s about the support of his friends.

“It gives me more motivation when I’m playing basketball to know my friends are supporting me and makes me feel excited to show off what I can do.”

In that case, dear reader, it’s more than just wearing your bear shirt. It’s more than screaming in your section at a pep rally. You’re a part of a team; a group; a partnership. You may not know every student at your school, but it’s the school spirit we all have that connects everyone together. So help your friends paint their faces, take group pictures, and jump into the drum circle in the mornings. You’re a bear.