“If you have less school spirit, fewer people are going to get involved in school, and it is going to create less spirit,” said Senior Julian Dahiya. Football games, school events, and social and civic engagements are primary examples of school spirit. However, B-CC has failed to keep up with some of its significant spirited traditions. As a result, many students feel disconnected from the school community and do not value these traditions anymore.
Many other students, especially upperclassmen, share the sentiment of not fully connecting with B-CC as their home. They also share the feeling that their experience has not been as fulfilling as they had hoped in the first place when entering high school as freshmen and just coming out of middle school. This sense of detachment or dissatisfaction can stem from various sources, such as lack of meaningful engagement with the school community, challenges in finding their sense of belonging, or feeling overlooked in B-CC’s competitive academic environment. But not everybody sees a problem. “I don’t think there has been much of a bad change,” expressed science teacher Mr. Hendy. “You can both have fun and learn at school, plus there are other fun things like clubs and playing and rooting for sports teams.”
Many students are still figuring out what exactly school spirit even means. Many say it’s just about going to football games. But is that truly what encapsulates school spirit? To many students, school spirit is a sense of pride shown by those who feel a strong connection to their place of learning and the people in it. Based on this definition, B-CC may be lacking this shared connection. “We ask the SGA [Student Government Association] and school administration to step up,” Dahiya commented. School spirit activities and events are usually organized by school-wide and class SGA officers working together. Yet, what seems to be failing, according to 2024 Class SGA Officer Carolina Zanna-Stone, lies in the administration’s restrictions. When asked for more detail, she explained, “I feel like Admin puts out a lot of our ideas that we are not allowed to just because they are worried that offends someone, and we had to give up a lot of ideas that would generate more school spirit.” Still, administration okayed the first Winter Dance in years this school year, which was a success, and cannot insist that students attend existing school functions meant to build spirit, like Homecoming or sports games.
Instead of pointing fingers at each other for the lack of school spirit, we all need to work together to boost school spirit. That means students, SGA officers, teachers, and the administration coming together to bring back the energy our school has lost. It is also important to prioritize school spirit because it makes us feel like we belong, creates a positive environment, and keeps our school traditions alive.
