At Central High School, school spirit is something that sometimes seems to be missing. While some schools are known for packed stands, loud pep rallies, and students showing pride in their school, Central has been struggling to keep that energy alive. Many students and staff say it is becoming a problem that’s affecting the whole school.

Many students say they don’t feel connected to the school, which makes it hard to get excited about events. Junior, Joss Whitaker, explained, “Sometimes, it feels like everyone is just here to go to class and leave. There isn’t that energy that makes you proud to be at Central.”

The student Council has tried to organize events to boost spirit, including Spirit Week, dances, and themes for games. But even after all that many students still ignore it. Stacy Alexander, the senior advisor and cheer coach, said, “They all say they wish we had longer pep rallies and that we had more pep rallies, but there is no need for longer or more when none of the students get engaged in the pep rallies we have now.”

Coach Alexander used to be a cheerleader at Central High School and talks about how it used to be when she was a student here, “I know this is a totally different generation than when I was a student at Central, and with new generations come new ways of doing things, but students should always have school spirit and support their school. I try to tell students about how things were when I was here and how much fun we always had, but they don’t really seem to care. I sometimes wish that I could take everyone back to when I was a student here and let them experience how much fun it was and how much everyone supported Central. I really think it could open their eyes. It is really hard sometimes when we host sporting events and the visiting team brings more fans than we have in our home stands. That should never happen. I will continue to help the cheerleaders promote school spirit and get students involved and maybe one day, they will get to experience how it was in the ‘old’ days.”

“A great way to bring our school together is to advocate more for sports, games, or tournaments,” says freshman cheerleader, Aubrey Drew.

With more participation, creative events, and support from all sports and club activities, students and teachers believe the school can become a place where everyone feels proud again. Until then, Central High will continue its fight to bring back the energy and excitement that every school deserves.