Is spirit week in students favor?
Would it surprise you if I said that not all students like spirit week? The week that should be full of spirit and excitement, seems to be the opposite. There isn’t much participation seen from students, teachers, and other staff. So why is this? Why do students feel this way? Is there anything Jenison staff can do to change this?
Students don’t enjoy participating in themes that they don’t like. Spirit week seems to have a lot of opinions and controversy.
Pride Points
Every Friday the teacher does what they call “pride points,”. This is the number of students in class that participated in the theme that day. Some teachers forget to even take count. “When I’m sitting in class in the morning and the teacher asks, who’s wearing green and white today?, almost no one raises a single hand”, states Jessica Heiss.
New and Improved
Spirit weeks are an annual yearly thing, the week before homecoming. Students feel that there isn’t a huge variety in themes, and there seems to be a common sense of ideas. Macy Pettit says, “I feel like they should introduce new themes every year, rather than repeating and replicating ones from previous years.” This would bring more attention and interest to the spirit week. This would change the thought about how spirit week is the same and “left in the dust.”
Students opinions and voices
During spirit week, students don’t get a say in what they would like to see. It is only up to the student council and staff administration. “I think it would be a good idea to introduce open-ended surveys to all students allowing them to have a voice in what they desire”, Jessica Heiss states. A background of what students like to wear is helpful. Their favors would help generate ideas bringing large participation in the hallways. Letting students give their opinions makes a huge difference.
Rewards and Motivation
Many students think, well what’s the point of spirit week? What do I receive from dressing up? And are they wrong? There’s no incentive or reward in place for dressing up. An extra tally to your grade (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) won’t do the trick. “It would be a cool idea if the staff and administration added some type of reward to the winning class. This could be a movie day, pizza party, or a free-bee day off of school”, mentions Marley Pettit. It does not have to be within the whole class either, we would bring this idea into play with individuals.
Jenison students and staff should all work together to make these changes. For more participation, enjoyment, and amusement. The hallways would transform into a ton of spirit. There’s no hype for homecoming, it seems like a normal boring school week. These events are what make high school a good and memorable experience. It develops memories. Bringing these ideas into play would change participation during spirit week. When students and staff are full of spirit, that’s a great environment for everyone. It will improve everyone’s moods and experiences at Jenison.