School spirit has been a part of American culture easily over a century, and it is a way for students to show their loyalty to their school who may not normally get to do so through playing in a band, running down a football field, or shaking pompoms.  At Horizon, we students are able to show spirit by attending sporting events, screaming at the pep rallies, and dressing up for spirit days – and as someone who’s been around Horizon for many years, I know that we’re all up for that.  All of us.  We will go to a basketball game, a volleyball game, even a cross country meet.  Tell us to dress up for those and we do – to show our loyalty.  We will scream at a pep rally even if we don’t win anything other than being known for the kid who beat Mr. Schneider in a dance off.  Tell us to scream and we do – to show our loyalty.

Then there are the spirit days.  Five days a quarter where we, the student body of HCLC, get to dress up (or down, as the case may be).  We yearn to be in our athletic wear and our logos.  Oh, to be able to wear sweatpants to school just once a quarter.  But I know I’m not the only one who dreads the announcement of the spirit days just a little bit, because I know I’m not the only one who doesn’t have anything Hawaii’an or Western, and I don’t have a creative bone in my body so I can’t throw something together for Literary Character day.  Not that I’d want to.

These days, chosen by Student Council (really, guys?), are not the days I would have chosen.  And I’m pretty sure they aren’t the days your HCLC student body would have chosen.  Nobody cares if the days spell out “Sadie’s.”  Nobody cares if they’re made up of alliteration.  What your student body cares about is whether or not we are able to participate.  Why would you choose to use days that, by the nature of their themes, will leave someone out every time?

Give us a chance to show our school spirit, but don’t make us stop by Party City to buy a lei.  Don’t make us ask our moms and dads if they have some old bell bottoms for decades day.  Why not choose spirit days that will include everybody, even if they haven’t been to Hawaii or Disneyland?  Take my word for it, we want to show our spirit.  But there’s a much better way to give us the opportunity to do this.  Think about days like comfy day, favorite t-shirt day, and the like.  Or better yet, ask your student body for ideas.  You know, like you promised us you would in those commercials you made last year?