Schools everywhere are trying to embrace school spirit for the first full school year since the start of the pandemic, and Northwood is no exception. This school year already has the potential to be a busy one as many events and activities are set to return after a long hiatus. From clubs and sports to events like the Trail of Terror and homecoming, there is sure to be something going on for everyone at Northwood.
Senior Student Body President Kennedy Poston says that promoting school spirit is one of the main goals of the student council for the 2021-2022 school year.
“Our theme this year is ‘Let’s Get Fired Up’ which goes with the subject of getting excited and pumped for the school year,” Poston said. “We thought that because we did not see much school spirit last year that our theme and goal should be about unifying the student body and celebrating our school.”
Several other students confirmed that they also felt a lack of school spirit during virtual school and the return to Plan A last year.
“I would say that school spirit was lacking during virtual school, but I think that was normal given the circumstances,” senior Bentley Brooks said. “With the return to school this year, I think students are starting to value the importance of school spirit. I know I am.”
The Senior Sunrise on Aug. 27 was the first school spirit project put on by the student council this year. At the event, planned by senior officers Caroline Murrell, Anna Beck and Nicole Hamilton, seniors arrived at the football field to watch the sunrise, play games and eat breakfast together. Murrell, Beck and Hamilton had seen the event put on by other schools and wanted to make it a Northwood tradition. They hope that the Senior Sunrise from the beginning of the year will be followed by a similar Senior Sunset to round out their final year at Northwood.
“It was kind of an icebreaker for our class because I think everyone was really uncertain [about coming back to school] after COVID,” Murrell said. “People wanted to come back and have fun, so we needed to show people that we are going to be able to do fun things this year.”
The next events all took place during Spirit Week. Spirit Week spanned the school week before the big homecoming game where both students and staff alike were invited to dress according to a different theme each day. Spirit Week was planned by junior student council senators Savannah Matthews and Airryn Wharton, both of whom stepped up for the task as a creative way to help the student body.
“I volunteered to co-chair spirit week because I thought it would be a fun committee to be in charge of, and I [could] help come up with ideas for the spirit days,” Matthews said. “I [wanted] spirit week to help the student body get together for a fun week of different outfits. I always look forward to seeing what people create.”
Monday’s theme was ‘Tacky Tourists,’ Tuesday’s theme was ‘70’s Throwback’ in honor of Northwood’s founding in 1972, Wednesday was ‘Formal Wear,’ Thursday was ‘Teacher-Student Swap,’ and Friday was ‘Class Colors’. On Friday, freshmen wore white, sophomores wore yellow, juniors wore green and seniors wore black.
Many teachers and students noticed an increase in participation for this year’s spirit week, especially compared to those in previous years. Wharton wanted Spirit Week to encourage students to let loose and to uplift the mood of the student body.
“I want students to participate and take the time to realize that having school spirit is not a bad thing,” Wharton said.
Nearing the end of Spirit Week, the pep rally also took place on Friday, Sep. 24. Senior Student Council Senator Bentley Brooks and junior Student Council Senator Ava Lyons planned the pep rally to get the student body excited for the homecoming game that occurred later that night.
“If I’m being honest, I was so nervous about chairing the pep rally,” Brooks said. “I definitely underestimated the amount of work, communication, dedication and organization it takes. However, I [had] an amazing committee and support system, and I’m so glad I took this opportunity.”
The pep rally included several contests, including a football throwing contest with all the fall sports teams which the cross-country team won and a game of tug-of-war between the students and the teachers. Both the dance teams and cheerleaders performed for the crowd, and the football players did a cheerleading routine of their own.
According to sophomores Ryan Brinker and Luiz Ziemke, the student section at Northwood games has played a big role in the amount of school spirit they have seen so far as compared to their first year at Northwood.
“I do feel that school spirit was lacking up until now with student sections reopening,” Ziemke said. “The student section is doing a great job of school spirit, and it’s getting a large number of students to show up to games.”
The student section, better known as the Nuthouse, is a club at Northwood that many students are involved in, with Poston calling it “probably the biggest testament to school spirit [there is] at Northwood.” Junior Sally Dillon describes herself as an active member and also gives the Nuthouse credit for raising school spirit levels.
“The Nuthouse is doing such an incredible job of increasing school spirit this year,” Dillon said. “The club has an awesome Instagram page that features all of Northwood’s sports in a super fun and supportive way. The Nuthouse is also hosting collective themes where people dress up to show support. We truly go all out with clothes, flags, cowbells, face paint and anything else students can get their hands on to show spirit. Everyone in the stands during games are just shouting, laughing, smiling and having so much fun. You can look around and see that we all, in that moment, are sharing a memory together.”
Dillon also tries to show school spirit in her everyday routine at school, not just during school events.
“Personally, I try to embrace school spirit as much as I can,” Dillon said. “I always try to be an active and attentive student during class. However, most importantly, being kind to everyone and maintaining a positive attitude is my personal goal everyday. Being present, fun and involved not only changes your own personal high school experience but also the experiences of those around you.”
Other students agree.
“I think school spirit is important because it’s something that has the potential to change the entire atmosphere of a school,” Poston said. “It’s a way to get people excited and proud of our school and all the things that we accomplish. Having a shared thing in common can create an incredibly strong sense of community, which I think is really important.”
