It’s a month into school and the lack of Warrior Pride is apparent. At most high schools, students are eager to participate in spirit week themes and attend sporting events; this is not quite the case at Cleveland. This widely recognized issue remains a mystery to most, but when we interviewed students about school spirit (or lack thereof), they had a lot to say.
One of the primary parts of the American high school experience is attending sporting events. In the media, we often see high schoolers going all out, dressing up for themes, and cheering on their school. Students have noticed this is not replicated at Cleveland. For example, given themes at football and soccer games are seldom followed. The football home opener had barely anyone wearing green.
When asked about the lack of school spirit at games, Cleveland students overwhelmingly had the same response: sporting events are not very appealing.
Lola Pierce, a junior and member of the Cleveland girls varsity soccer team, said, “I think it’s different for like West Linn and Lake Oswego when your team has the money to fund their sport, it’s more fun [for students] to attend.”
More funds can also go into remodeling stands and make the viewing experience better. “Maybe adding a roof over the stands would be good, none of the schools in the district have one,” said Mark Wren, administrative assistant for athletics.
Funding can be used to purchase supplies for fun themes at games as well, such as leis for a “luau theme” or glow sticks for a “glowout theme.” Although funding them has no direct correlation to attendance rates of sporting events, currently there is not a lot of draw for students to come to games because the experience itself isn’t enjoyable.
Some students think that the issue behind sports attendance is promotion of events. Other PIL schools such as Grant High School have posted on their school’s official Instagram page 18 times during the past four weeks about sporting events while Cleveland’s official Instagram page has only posted six times this school year and only one of those posts included information about sporting events.
The other key component of school spirit is spirit week. Many people do not even know when spirit week is happening or which day corresponds with which theme. Currently there is no info on spirit week, but it is expected to happen the week before Homecoming.
Even if someone knows what the theme is, they may not participate due to peer pressure and fear of being judged for participating.
Patrick Gonzales, the speech and debate teacher at Cleveland, said, “…what we saw from teenagers is that the best way they can protect themselves [from embarrassment] in the pandemic is by not investing themselves in anything.”
This was especially clear the first year back. Because everyone was still masked up, it was easy to neglect in-class conversation or school-sponsored social events. As we have moved forward, more people have been participating in clubs, events, and other activities, but Cleveland can still improve on participation.
Although issues surrounding school spirit can be pinned down to budgets and fear of embarrassment, a lot of it has to do with students’ attitudes around school. Hattie White, a senior, says, “I feel like some people aren’t happy to be at school.”
During the week of Sept. 11-15 Cleveland had a 92 percent attendance rate. Although our attendance rates are highest in PIL, there’s still an underlying current of negativity within the student body.
Isaac Camacho, the Cleveland attendance coach, said, “We can see that there’s just a lack of camaraderie between students. Yes, they come to class but they are not engaging with each other and [people] are generally just mean to each other.”
Cleveland’s outdated building contributes to students’ negative attitude towards school. While other schools have been remodeled or are in the process or have plans to, Cleveland waits with Ida B. Wells, a much newer school, to even start the process. Having to wait is frustrating as it makes the community feel unimportant and overlooked by PPS administration.
When students have a bad outlook on school, it can create a negative environment for the entire Cleveland community, which makes students not want to participate in activities that bring the community together such as sporting events and spirit weeks. The real issue at hand could be bigger than funding or typical teenage behavior, it may come down to student attitude.
It is important to get involved within the school because if you think something is missing in the community you can step up and change things. Getting involved can help change other people’s perspectives as well. Changing attitudes individually can help create a snowball effect and shift the environment to become more positive. Encouraging others to join clubs, sports, or events will lead to better outcomes for school spirit and the community as a whole.
Outside of school spirit-related activities, another way that students can get involved in the Cleveland community is by joining clubs and extracurricular activities. There are a wide variety of clubs at Cleveland. From Cake Club to Key Club, Cleveland has a plethora of extracurricular opportunities for all interests.
In a survey conducted, only 52 percent of students had joined at least one club in the past year. However, the students surveyed explained that they felt like their club was a space where they belonged and they felt more involved in the school community.
This year, the Club Fair will be on Sept. 29 during flex in the cafeteria. If you’re interested in getting involved in the community, this is a great opportunity to sign up for clubs and find your passion!
Getting involved in Cleveland High School can improve attitudes towards school and encourage people to take pride in their community.