Students and staff members around LHS have a variety of definitions when the term school spirit gets brought up. Some say that school spirit is simple pride in what the school stands for, while others believe that it’s the loyalty students have for one another.
Athletic Director John Woods believes that school spirit is one of the most important factors in ensuring student well-being to make a community at LHS.
“School spirit is the community this faculty makes here,” Mr. Woods said. “And traditions for any club or sport make that happen. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Traditions carried out by the sports organizations at LHS heavily contribute to the feeling of school spirit throughout the school. Whether it be student sections at football games or the marching band playing at halftime, all traditions contribute to the Wildcat community.
Section Chants
The student section is a practice that applies to almost every sport in LHS. A group of student fans take a portion of the bleachers at an event and do a collection of organized chants to cheer for the Wildcats.
“It can really get the athletes going,” Mr. Woods said. “It can feel good to hear cheers for you when you’re putting your all into a game.”
Although student cheering can pour some real energy into the game when the stakes are high, Woods draws a clear line if the energy of the crowd starts to shift.
“While cheering is always great, it stops helping [players] when people are trying to yell at someone,” Mr. Woods said. “It can be kids yelling at a call or saying something to a player on the other team, it does nothing good for anybody.”
Throughout the years, the attendance in student sections has been on a steady decline. This lack of attendance is likely a result of the large number of sports provided by LHS, resulting in less students who are able to make an entire game. Another factor is likely the ever-rising number of clubs at LHS. Students are just too busy to attend as many games in the typical school day.
Even if the amount of students attending these sections may be thinning, their enthusiasm is palpable to the game and can make the difference between a win and a loss.
Senior Night
Once per year, every sport individually celebrates the dedication of their senior players , usually at the beginning of an important game.. Each senior is honored individually when they walk down their field or court and take pictures with their families, while the teachers take pictures with the students who nominated them. They are not only celebrated for supporting their respective teams, but also for building up the school spirit LHS prides itself on.
“I think it really helps out a lot,” junior athlete Brady Buenik said. “We have to give credit to the seniors who stuck around for the sport. One day I hope I’m up there so I could be respected by my peers.”
Homecoming Football Pregame
Before the start of every Homecoming game, LHS pulls out all the stops with performances from the school marching band, the cheerleading team and even fireworks to start the night. While the tradition is mainly for the audience to feel the intensity of the upcoming game, the celebration also serves as a moment for a collection of LHS activities to show off their hard work and have fun.
“The fireworks put on a show, but they’re not the center of the night,” Mr. Woods said. “The real center is the hard work put in by every student that performs, whether it be the football guys and band students, the cheer team or Wildcat Productions. It all comes down to putting your heart into the thing you love doing.”
For many students at LHS, school is a responsibility on the way to the rest of their lives. While that might be a productive mindset, sports traditions like these serve to make their experience more than that. Traditions make school a place where students can look back on LHS far after they leave.
