The blinding sparkle of dresses, the clicks of shoes over the dancefloor, and the beams of colorful lights illuminating the faces of Suns enjoying their Homecoming dance is going to be all anyone can talk about at Del Oro these next few days.
Only there isn’t the nonstop chatter of people saying what they are going to wear. There isn’t anyone swarming posters around campus to see everything there is to know about Homecoming. There seems to be little enthusiasm toward one of the school year’s biggest events – at least in comparison to Homecoming’s reception at other schools.
For the Del Oro students who have worked to plan today’s Homecoming rallies and Saturday’s Homecoming dance, the lack of school spirit is worrisome: What if nobody shows up on Saturday?
Del Oro’s Activities Director Desmond Ramey said he believes school spirit is critical for those students who want a positive campus experience.
“It helps bring life into school,” he said. “If we really think about it, without [it] we’re just here learning.”
But having that contagious energy creates a deeper connection with everything attached to Del Oro – better yet, it creates a place to belong.
Social influence is arguably one reason why school spirit is lacking at Del Oro. Through a form sent to the English department, one student said people don’t participate because they want to “fit in” and “not be weird.” The harmful stigma of not supporting school pressures students to not participate.
With the judgement of peers, it divides the school apart. Even the staff notice this, but they’re only adding onto the decrease of motivation. Some students have confessed on the form that some of their teachers are either rude, selective, or ignorant with their students. This further separates staff from them, not having them both work together for the school to function.
The disharmony and no sense of family among the Del Oro community prompts the question: Is it just this school that suffers from a lack of spirit?
If the risk of Homecoming being a dull event will ruin the experience of everyone, then how can it be prevented? Many were caring enough to suggest the students become educated of the school’s history in order to have a deeper connection.
In an interview, one sophomore pointed out that there needs to be events that unites every student, not just having clubs and sports games; they still only separate people by their interests.
Multiple students gave their advice to make Del Oro a place where no one is afraid to show their support and care. Teachers becoming nicer would be the first step to restore the strong relationship between them and students.
Thanks to the form, many were quick to throw out what they believed would improve participation. One said that some events could be earlier so their curfews don’t interfere with their experience. Another said to make days to hang out after school, such as “sports days” or “game nights.” Events correlated based on seasons, such as water fights for summer, and making spirit weeks easier so everyone can participate. These events let people make new friends and open “more doors to more opportunities.”
Students care about having their peers care about school. “Del Oro spirit needs more spirit,” one student in the survey commented. Another student from the form said school spirit needs to be normalized, so it can be contagious to make events like Homecoming be alive.
“[But] it has to start with themselves,” Ramey said.
