With Homecoming past us, it’s time to discuss a sore subject for many students: school spirit.  Every year, spirit week is the time for students to show their Whitman pride, and every year Whitman spirit falls embarrassingly short.

Many students decide to forgo most of the dress-up days and activities.  But lack of school spirit doesn’t just pertain to spirit week; it’s a year-round trend.  Whitmaniacs are often outnumbered or out-cheered by rivals at home sports games and turnout for other extracurricular activities is subpar.  As students, we need to take pride in our school and our classmates by attending these events and wearing black and blue.

One area of shame for Whitman is home football games.  According to football coach James Kuhn, turnout this year is better than last year, but there are still huge areas of empty seats at games.  Going to football games should be a no-brainer for students.  Come to support cheerleading or poms, watch drumline and the marching band, or chat with friends; just make sure to come.  It’s embarrassing for the Whitman community when this doesn’t happen, except for the Homecoming game, such as the annual invasion on our home turf by Quince Orchard fans who out-cheer us.

Football games aren’t the only option for school-spirit-deprived students.  You can watch field hockey (5-0 this year), girls’ tennis (7-0, only three sets lost) or boys’ soccer (seven-time state champions.)  No matter what the sport, games are a great way to help out our school (and, at $3, they’re the best entertainment deal around).

By no means are sports the only way to show school spirit either.  Whitman puts on a fantastic Talent Show, music and choral concerts, plays, Festival of the Arts, a fashion show and Mr. Whitman annually.  Students put countless amounts of time and energy into these productions, and watching the finished product is the least you can do to show support for their efforts.

In the here and now, if you missed Battle of the Classes this year, make sure to make it to next year’s. Participants are counting on their grade to show up and get them pumped; bragging rights are on the line. As S.G.A. advisor Sheryl Freedman said, the moments that you remember most about high school are the moments outside the classroom, and Battle of the Classes is a great opportunity to create lasting memories of friendship and fun.

School spirit can only make Whitman a better school.  We have some of the best athletes, musicians, and actors around, so go see them in action.   No one can know that we’re the best if the other team’s fans are yelling louder.