Packed stands of rowdy students at sports games, creative and thoughtful outfits on dress-up days, and theaters overflowing with cackles, howls, and excitement during improv shows—underclassmen may think this fantasy comes straight out of High School Musical, but no: Latin onced radiated school spirit.
Students have noticed a sharp decline in school spirit since the class of 2022 graduated. An anonymous survey sampling 46 students from diverse social circles and balanced gender representation showed that a staggering 83% of seniors think that school spirit has weakened since their freshman year. Waning school spirit is not just a Latin issue, but a national one. Current college students attend fewer football games than classes before them, and with sports games serving as a foundation of school spirit, institutions dependent on alumni enthusiasm and financial support are sweating.
Researchers struggle to reach a consensus on the cause of the decline in national attendance, but Upper School history teacher Debbie Linder posed a hypothesis. “Kids these days are just so overscheduled that they don’t have time to go to school events,” she said. A rise in early sports specialization, alongside a host of other activities, has squandered students’ free time. “A kid who used to be on one soccer team is now on two or three,” Ms. Linder added.
This decline may also stem from less vocal leaders like Class of 2022 alum Ascher Cahn, who left a lasting legacy at Latin. He bolstered school spirit on and off the field, leading the soccer and lacrosse teams while actively encouraging underclassmen to attend games and embrace spirit days. “I think that our grade felt a sense of community and excitement after coming back from COVID for our senior year, and we channeled that into support and effort for our sports teams,” Ascher said.
While many students now scoff at attempts to get them to wear orange and blue on Fridays, previous classes approached traditions with a more spirited mindset. “School spirit was always taken seriously and approached with a lot of enthusiasm,” Ascher said.
Sensing the void that the previous two senior classes left, Co-Curricular Prefect and senior Juliette Katz has been working tirelessly to reignite school spirit. “There was a real lack of energy over the last two years that neither me or my older sisters had experienced during our time at Latin,” she said.
The arts have seen similar dips in attendance as sports, and she aims to address these problems head-on. “I remember sitting in the packed and engaged theater at an improv show my freshman year and just thinking, ‘Wow, I love the Latin community.’ We want to bring that enthusiasm back, and more.”
Juliette has leaned into collaborating with faculty to kickstart spirit-boosting initiatives. “Mr. Goldman was so helpful for Senior Sunrise, and implementing Athlete and Game of the Week with Ms. Johnson has been great,” she said.
Students and faculty alike have noticed a spike in energy from these projects. “The school spirit during my freshman year was insane, but I really feel like we are successfully working to bring it back to those levels and hopefully higher,” senior Shiv Opal said.
Ms. Linder echoed Shiv’s feelings and praise for Juliette.
“Juliette has done such an amazing job this year, and I feel like the attendance has been pretty strong recently,” Ms. Linder said. She also appreciated the effort from Juliette and the Athletics Department to get faculty more engaged with sports. “It's been really cool to see more teachers at events like swim meets,” Ms. Linder added.
Juliette and Ascher both highlighted community and togetherness as the main ways to boost school enthusiasm. “I would challenge students to slow down and appreciate every opportunity to play in a game or go cheer for their friends,” Ascher said.
Juliette expressed immense hope for an increase in spirit if students use their secret weapon: love. “I have so much love for the school and the incredible community,” she said, “and special things can happen when we show up and support each other.”
