What is school spirit? By definition, it’s when students and staff alike participate in school events and spirit weeks, creating a lively environment for everyone at school to enjoy. At Argo, however, this is a bit different.
According to Senior Patrycia Sojka, Captain of the Sailorettes, four years ago, she thought that “participating in school spirit would have been considered something …cringy.” Although, she believed students changed their opinions due to social media.
Sojka mentioned some students feel as if school spirit at Argo used to be uninteresting and something most students did not care to participate in. Over the years though, social media has made school spirit a more popular activity that students enjoy.
However, it isn’t just the seniors who have seen the struggles when it comes to participating in spirit week. According to Junior Luciana Deir, she thinks that peer pressure plays a role in participation.
“I think that people are scared of participating alone as I usually overhear people talking to friends about how they’ll do spirit week if their friends do it,” said Deir.
As Deir mentioned, when someone is the only person who partakes in school spirit, they tend to feel embarrassed about being the odd one out.
But not everyone feels this way. As sophomore Jahir Ruiz said, “I like cheering for all the teams that come out onto the field and Swanson.”
There are so many ways to enjoy the atmosphere at Argo. Pep assemblies are a great example.
“I like the games. I liked seeing Mr. Hurd get pied,” said Ruiz.
The activities engage the student body and help them feel spirited towards the school. Being around friends and cheering on the players and teachers on the field is fun and memorable.
For the freshmen who just came to Argo, school spirit is a new experience.
“It was very exciting to be out there with my friends and see what the school offers,” said Abdulsalam Algahmi, a freshman at Argo. Algahmi thought the activities during the assembly were fun and interesting.
While the student body had different opinions, they all agreed that school spirit has progressed throughout the years. Argo spirit may have its flaws, but it has improved.
Mrs. Aimee Guldin, an Argo English teacher for 26 years, believed “this last assembly was so great because of the new screen and the fact that they were putting up pictures. I thought it was so cool.”
Even the teachers saw significant changes in Argo spirit this year, highlighting the improvements and appreciating the school’s efforts to grow school spirit.
The school has done its part, but now, it’s all on the students.
As Ruiz said, “Don’t be afraid to represent your school.”
