Spirited Seahawks

Between the Halloween costume contest being canceled, to a noticeable decline in students attending sports games, school dances and other Seabury events, some have considered dwindling school spirit to be an explanation for decreased participation. So, one asks, why is school spirit important? And what could the community do to foster more school pride?

“School spirit is important because it makes people want to come to school and get excited about it,” seventh grader Madilynn Walter says.

Junior Bella Ogborn shares a similar sentiment. “I think it builds a better sense of community the more school spirit we have, especially for athletics; because I know if we have a lot of people show up for a game, it helps out players and builds a community,” she says. “It helps encourage things like athletics and the arts.”

Seventh grader Oliver Hunt also considers the community aspect of school spirit. “It makes a better environment for everybody… to support the school,” he says. “It’s good to support it.”

Similarly, freshman Raina Bean-Pearce agrees that having a sense of school pride is important. “[School spirit] means to support the school and to have pride for it, and to be proud of what your classmates have done, whether it be sports-related things or other competitive things,” she says. “Seabury shows it with the willingness to applaud whenever someone announces something [in morning meeting or lunch announcements].”

Considering whether Seabury students show enough school spirit, Ogborn thinks there’s room for improvement. “I do not think Seabury has enough school spirit. This year, there has been a lot less interest in athletics… I haven’t really seen a lot of support regarding sports,” she says.

Hunt shares a similar opinion. “I think everybody could chip in a little more,” he says. “Just go to more games… it would be nice if we did, to support the teams and the people that make them happen.”

On the other hand, Walters thinks Seabury does a fair job of fostering school spirit. “We have spirit days, and a lot of people wear Seabury shirts and help around the community every now and then,” she says. “Sometimes it’s in decorations, but also in people’s personalities and excitement.” Although, more participation in school events is important, “I feel like [students] should go to events and get more involved… [students] should get involved with school activities, but it shouldn’t be required or anything,” she says.

Furthermore, Bean-Pearce considers sports teams’ equal treatment with school spirit, and the importance of ensuring it’s equally distributed. “It’s important that one team doesn’t feel like they’re not as appreciated as other teams… it can be kind of discouraging,” she says.

Another way the community could increase its involvement is through upperclassmen. “I think as high schoolers it’s our responsibility to put together groups for games to show support, to help encourage people to come out and set the mood for student sections,” Ogborne says. Another responsibility high schoolers have is encouraging school spirit in middle schoolers. “That is one of our biggest responsibilities. There has been a little bit less participation in sports at Seabury, and I think that a lot of the upperclassmen… are the ones who participate the most in sports,” she says. “I think in order to keep the school spirit in sports alive, it’s really important for upperclassmen who are super involved to encourage the younger students to continue the legacy.”

Hunt agrees with Ogborn. “[High schoolers are] really the backbone of student sections at games… they’re the ones who are actually doing something and being encouraging,” he says. Although, middle schoolers still have some responsibility in creating a spirited environment. “I think middle schoolers don’t really have that many activities so they should come to games more,” he says.

Walter agrees. “I feel like [middle schoolers] should go to events and get more involved,” she says.

Whether an upper school or lower school student, there’s a general consensus that Seabury could improve spirit through participation in sports events or other school-sponsored events. “I think trying your best to show up to games, show up to events like plays and help out around to make those things happen,” Ogborn says. “Do as much as you can to help out and support the Seabury community. It’s so important.”