Smells Like… School Spirit?

Graci Altman, Staff Writer

The Highland Food Drive was a huge success. We had a goal of 3200 cans, and wrapped it up with a whopping… 520. It may not have been a success in feeding the homeless this holiday season, but perhaps a success in showing how uninvolved both students and faculty are.

Highland should be embarrassed that a school with over 1600 students could only raise 520 cans to donate. The lack of involvement at this school is astonishing. Things like school dances, sports, performances, and Spirit Week are huge for student participation. But when it comes to things like food drives and giving back, numbers are slim. Why is that? Students are all for having fun, but not giving to others? Especially during the holiday season, it’s a time to be grateful for everything we have, and give to others who don’t have as much.

SBO’s promoted the food drive on Twitter, went on HTVS, and still didn’t get a good turnout. They even placed “motivators” to try to get students more involved. For every certain number of cans reached, Brightwell would cut an inch off his hair, Coach Winn would dye his hair purple, and if we reached our goal, Coach Benson would’ve gotten a pie in the face.

SBO’s could’ve done much more to promote though. They should’ve gone into classrooms, talked to teachers and directly told more people about it. It’s not just the SBO’s and student’s responsibility, though.

“One thing we really struggle with is getting teachers to help,” HAM President, Eian Brightwell says.

Some teachers do a lot to support students and the school, but some are even less involved than the students. Teachers should be encouraging students to be more involved, and not be hypocrites about it. Teachers have the ability to influence students, and should be utilizing that for the better.

With a student body of approximately 1600, you would think we could raise 3200 cans at least. And out of the 520 cans raised, 300 came from the Student Government class.

“I guess it’s that kids don’t really care. They have no school spirit,” Brightwell says.

The lack of school spirit is on Highland and SPA students alike. SPA students make up about one-fourth of the Highland student body. A decent amount of students have been uninvolved at Highland, and likewise of Highland at SPA. But, recently, that’s been changing. Many SPA students participate in Highland sports, and went to the performance of Pippin. Highland students, especially those in the theater department, went to Catch Me if You Can, and SPA’s SBOs even invited some of Pippin’s cast to SPA’s assembly to receive awards.

So much is going on at this school, it’s easy for people to get involved. Sports events are all over. There is a plethora of clubs. School dances and assemblies come every so often, and performances come and go. What most students need to realize is school is what you make it. It can be something you go to just because you have to, or it can be something you make the most of.

Instead of just going to your classes, you can make an effort to learn and understand more. Instead of missing out, go to games. Go to performances. Get involved and have fun, because you’re only in high school for a short time, so make the most of it.