Year commences with new student-led spirit initiatives

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Photos by Alex Furuya

Hundreds of Aragon students descended upon the football field on Aug. 27 for this year’s Welcome Back Rally. It began with performances by cheerleaders and the dance team and culminated with an activity in which teachers stuffed balloons into their clothing.

Senior and leadership commissioner Jenise Williams says, “I think it was a pretty successful rally, although our sound system was lacking. Overall, we had great attendance.”

Leadership hopes to eliminate a perceived lack of enthusiasm among the student body through an increased number of rallies and class competitions. Rallies are scheduled every other week for this school year with a greater inclusion of teachers.

Williams says, “We really want to incorporate the spirit point system [and] give every class a chance to win spirit points.”

Associated Student Body (ASB) President Richard Shu says, “We want to do smaller rallies and games interspersed between those [big rallies]. I hope that the student body will be excited to know that… there are events that they can participate in and that school is not just about the academics or sports but also about the community.”

Classes have a variety of opportunities to earn spirit points. At this past rally, the class that cheered the loudest, which was the senior class, received 10 spirit points, while the teacher who stuffed the most balloons into their clothing, in this case teacher William Colglazier, won the junior class 100 points.

Another Leadership effort is a push for participation in spirit week dress-up days through its spirit point system.

During the “Back to the Basics” spirit week held from Aug. 26 to Aug. 30, some students noticed a recognizable difference from last year.

Sophomore Magali de Sauvage says, “I’ve seen more [participation this year] than last year. A lot more than last year. People are more aware of the spirit days and they’re a lot easier to dress up for.”

Explaining the purpose of spirit weeks, Williams says, “Raise spirit­—that’s our main goal. We want to [promote] pride around campus.”

Outside of Leadership, other student leaders are bringing students together in an effort to instill a sense of unity.

At 7 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 16, seniors convened in center court to celebrate the commencement of their last year at Aragon with the first ever Senior Sunrise.

Seniors took part in numerous activities such as making hand-print murals and creating “Make-it-Great” lists. The senior class student council and their advisor, teacher Katherine Ward, organized the event with support from the Aragon Senior Parent Group.

Senior class president Patrick Lin says, “The purpose of the event was to unite the senior class at the beginning of the year on a positive note and get people excited about upcoming senior events.”

Although this event was organized exclusively for the Class of 2014, Lin hopes it will continue for years to come.

In his speech to attendees, Lin said, “We have a chance to set a new precedent for classes to come and to leave a legacy for classes to come and it started today [with the] first ever Senior Sunrise.”

On the same day, the seniors also participated in what they have come to call Secret Senior Spirit Days, in which students donned pajamas to showcase senior pride. The Class of 2014’s student leaders touted the event as a success and plan to host more such events in the future.

“I think it’s very fun. [There’s going to be] lots of fun people, friendship, unity…and I’m excited for the Senior Sunrise,” says senior Julia Murray.

Meanwhile, the new ASB officers are driving their initiatives forward. A large part of their plan involves greater collaboration with the student body whether it be through social media or school meetings.

Shu says, “My big goal right now is to [start having] lunchtime student council [meetings] that will allow all students to have a [say] in student government so that it’s not just Leadership making all the decisions as it has largely been in previous years.”

Student leaders across campus have ambitious plans for the school year that aim to make this year a spirited and exciting one, but the success of these plans still remains to be seen.