Editorial: LAHS needs more school spirit. That’s up to us.

By The Editorial Board | October 6, 2023

Left: A cloud of baby powder flies over stands filled with Los Altos Eagles during the 2019 Homecoming football game. Right: The Gender and Sexuality Awareness Club (GSA) draft the weekly plan, dubbed “The Gay Agenda,” in 2021. School spirit can take many forms, from football games to club meetings. (Left: Talon archives, Right: Rose Liu)

Student leaders on spirit:

“Spirit showcases that we are all a community, we are all part of something. It shows our support for each other and our school.” – ASB President senior Lauren Holm

“LAHS is very academics-heavy, so experiencing what high school should be like is very important. High school issupposed to be fun, and putting yourself out there, like dressing up for a theme, is very important.” – Senior Class President Kiera Gowers

“Nobody really does spirit days. A lot of schools have really big turnouts, especially for rivalry games, but our school doesn’t really have a significant turnout compared to the size of our student body.” – Varsity Cheerleading Captain junior Alexanna Smith

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“One thing that needs to improve is inclusion. I’ve seen different events, and the same group goes constantly. And that’s something I want to improve on.” – ASB Activities Commissioner senior Leslie Cesareo

“When there’s a bigger crowd, there’s a lot more hype around the team, there’s a lot more excitement. It’s a lot better when playing.” – varsity football co-Captain senior Drew Rafferty

“It just boosts morale to see other people dressed up with you. It kind of makes you want to come to school because it’s something fun to do.” – SCL President senior Asha Parker

“Taking part in activities at the school, like clubs or sports events if your friends are there, makes the experience more fun.” – Marching Band Drum Major senior Sabrina Yen-Ko

Our school isn’t the most spirited bunch — 86% of the 197 students polled on The Talon Instagram agreed that Los Altos High School is only “somewhat” or “not spirited” at all. With weekly sports games and rallies, it seems like this is the moment to live out the stereotypical high school spirit, complete with face paint and stands full of students. But it doesn’t really seem to happen at LAHS.

But the lack of school spirit doesn’t come from ASB or SCL. The issue rests with the rest of the student body. If we aren’t actively participating in school spirit, going to events or dressing up for spirit days, who are we to complain about lacking spirit? It’s fully in our power to go to a football game or to grab a blue shirt instead of black, to make choices that will show our school spirit. Sure, athletics and dress-up days aren’t the best or only way to define school spirit, but they’re an easy place to start. And they can be a lot of fun, as long as lots of people participate.

LAHS’s strong academic culture motivates students to constantly challenge themselves and grow. But a constant high-performing environment can frame high school as a “stepping stone” to higher education or employment. Many students seem to go through their four years focused on what comes next rather than being present in the moment. In fact, many students The Talon spoke to acknowledge that they make a conscious decision to consistently prioritize academics over school spirit.

High school is often described as the “time of our lives.” For some of us, this may look like attending football games or signing up for positions in Blue Crew, ASB, or SCL. For others, it might be competing in speech and debate tournaments, working in the Robotics club, and other areas specific to their interests. In some way or another, we all contribute to the atmosphere of our school.

Having school spirit doesn’t mean that you have to replace your entire wardrobe with blue and white. However, it does mean that in order to be spirited, you have to look across the entire campus. If you’ve always attended football games but never watched a single Broken Box show, it’s difficult to appreciate everything that our students have to offer.

What truly makes our four years together special is when we choose to diversify our experiences in unexpected environments and with different people. We find unity among our differences and we begin to understand other perspectives. High school spirit can be a chance to find your place in our community — so why not try?