Inside the Pride: Students Speak on School Spirit By: Maylene Michel

Hillgrove High School is known locally for its athletic, academic, and extracurricular success. Hillgrove’s students are credited with this, as it all comes from their school spirit. In the words of the Scot Scoop, “School spirit fluctuates from school to school. It comes in the form of decorations, events, spirit days, sports, and games, and is generally designed to engage a student in their school community.” Hillgrove values in these events and they are a main reason its success is possible.

The Growling Wolverine explains that by “attending school events and participating in spirited activities, students build connections and friendships that will last a lifetime. This camaraderie is important in creating a supportive and inclusive environment where everyone feels valued and appreciated. This sense of belonging is an important part of high school life,” and Hillgrove students agree with this claim of importance. Junior Ansley Hackney shares, “I think, like, we just follow what we see and, like, if we enjoy what we see, then we kind of bounce off of each other. And I think that when we bounce off of each other, we're able to kind of create this atmosphere, no matter what class you're in, and have fun.” Some students take school spirit more seriously than others; Alena Reichert, another junior, declares that when it comes dress up days, her peers should “should feel pressured to [dress up]. I think that if you're not, you're just lame, and I think that those who dress up are definitely more fun, and it's not, it's more embarrassing if you don't dress up when everybody else is dressed up.” Either way, the atmosphere created in the school’s social events fosters a sense of belonging that encourages students to take pride in their education and work harder.

Although school spirit is more than academic or athletic motivation, “students with school spirit…perform better academically, are more socially and civically engaged, and are happier in general than their less-spirited peers.” According to The Connecticut Association of Schools. A third student at Hillgrove, Alison Cornejo, shares, “…when you look back at it from, like, 20 years from now, even then you're like, oh, my gosh, I'm so grateful that I participated… I would really love to look back on it and think like, dang, like, I'm glad I did it.”  

All in all, school spirit is less about how the school looks to others than how it feels to the students.