Cheers of excitement are replaced with groans of dread when there are mentions of a pep rally at Loyola. Game attendance is almost nonexistent, pep rally cheers have gone extinct, and getting students eager to go to a school dance is like pulling teeth. School spirit has never been more absent.
The weeks leading up to a school dance are filled with students’ complaints of going. They don’t want to go through the work to find a dress, a date, or an after party. Whenever Rowdy the Ramble comes out to engage the audience, the room goes dead silent. At Loyola’s most recent pep rally, students sat down out of boredom and had to be reprimanded to stand up again.
The scene of a school pep rally is bare and unresponsive, with complaints beforehand wanting to leave early. Those that are stuck going often refuse to participate in any of the cheers or attempts made by Student Activities to get students excited.
Student Activities Director Ms. Krein has been working with pep rallies for six years. Noticing the shift in energy, she says she has made various attempts to spark the school spirit. “I don’t think we’re great at pep rallies, but I thought if we had more, we’d have more practice and get better at them.”
This proved unsuccessful due to the increased complaints from students about “another pep rally.”
It seems that school dances have become more of a burden than an exciting tradition. Although complaints are high, dance attendance hasn’t gone down at all. The number of students attending the school dances has stayed the same, but the enthusiasm has decreased noticeably. Now more than ever, students are looking forward to the after parties more than the event itself, and even then they still don’t find themselves enjoying the parties.
There was a significant change in students’ school spirit after Covid-19 swept the school. Ms. Krein recalls the lack of enthusiasm post covid saying, “students are afraid of others judging them…anything that puts them out there.”
Although it seems like a particular case for high school, Loyola isn’t alone. “[It] hasn’t been Loyola. I meet with other Student Activity Directors from Catholic and public schools, and they all echo this behavior,” Ms. Krein said.
Senior Veronica Kariotis provides some insight as a student to what could possibly be happening in the minds of the unenthusiastic students.
Music plays a large role in the pep rallies, and oftentimes there can be mistakes where the music isn’t started on time or it pauses and there’s technical difficulties.
To further include students, there are games being played to entertain the student body. “People who are involved in the games don’t know what they’re doing. That creates a lot of anxiety for those in the pep rally and those watching,” Veronica said.
The performances and games aren’t the only issues. Most students feel restricted with the dress down rules and some days no dress down at all. Veronica finds it hard to feel school spirit at these times. “I don’t like pep rallies when you have to wear your uniform. It feels like you’re still in school.”
It isn’t just Veronica; most students in the school feel the same way. “Whenever there’s a pep rally day, my friends tell me they wish they could leave.”
Most times when students have a free period at the end of the day, they leave early to escape the forced cheering of the pep rally.
What is the cause for this lack of school spirit? Veronica confirmed Ms. Krein’s thoughts about students. “It’s the culture here. A lot of students think it’s embarrassing or they don’t take pride because it’s boring.” Even though it is boring, some students feel pressured to participate. “[It] feels like, ‘oh, I’m obliged to go because I’m a senior.’”
What can be changed?
There have been suggestions for Loyola to hire certain groups or performers to entertain and excite the audience. There has been a desire for more entertainment besides the games that students participate in and the dances that are performed.
Overall, school spirit has been a struggle for Loyola Academy, but if a few changes are made to the pep rallies and the events of celebration, the energy can spike back up to how it used to be. Pride for Loyola should be restored and school events should be something that students are eager to participate in.
Go Ramblers!
