A Fresh Batch of Aragon Spirit

On the first day of school, Aragon seemed to show its spirit like never before. Scribbled words on the windows and doors welcomed students back, posters on the walls informed them of “Red and Black Fridays,” and the atmosphere buzzed with excitement for the new year.

In the wake of the year’s first football field rally and the creatively themed “D.O.N.S.” spirit week, it seems possible that Aragon has undergone a kind of spiritual revival.

Recent Aragon alum, Amy Jiang, compares this year’s spirit to last year’s spirit. “I think Aragon was just starting to get spirited my senior year, but from all the pictures and stories I’ve heard about this year’s senior class, spirit has really taken off,” she says.

In September, Aragon’s first rally on the football field saw a flood of students pouring down the walkway past the theater. “The football field rally turned out really great because it was in a new and different location. People wondered what new things we’d do,” says sophomore Leadership student Elizabeth Zhou.

The excitement at the football rally has apparently been evident at the football games. “The first game of this season, Ms. Hontalas, Ms. Suess, Mr. Valmonte, and other teachers had to help us at the gate because it was packed. We did not stop moving and were excited with the amount of people who were ready to cheer on Aragon,” says Erika Assoun, a junior and member of Service Commission, who has worked at the football games for the past two years. “ [This year] more of the grade levels are wearing red and black and are actually staying for the majority of the varsity games,” she says.

Many different aspects of Aragon generate school spirit, such as the Leadership class’ planning of events and spirit squad, faculty, and senior class participation.

Junior Jade Barkett, a Leadership student and member of the varsity cheerleading team, explains, “I think people assume [spirit] is all Leadership’s responsibility, but in reality, it’s every grade level’s. If any grade starts to be spirited, people think it’s cool and okay to also be spirited.”

Freshman Lea Tan agrees. “The upperclassmen should be spirited so that the freshmen and sophomores are more likely to join in,” she says.

According to senior and dance team member Aris Payan, publicizing events is key in helping boost student motivation to be spirited. “When you walk through the halls at San Mateo High, you’re overwhelmed by the posters. Here, I don’t see much of that, so people aren’t as motivated,” she says.

Having worked at Aragon for 28 years, Aileen Scatena, the freshman and sophomore grade advisor of the attendance office, agrees that both tasks of generating school spirit and embracing school spirit need to be taken seriously by students in order for Aragon to show that it has spirit. “Sometimes I think kids are so involved with schoolwork and academics that doing well in school becomes their higher priority,” she comments. “Being spirited is a lot of work. Everybody has to just do their part. It comes from within, and you have to spend the time and put the effort into doing it,” she adds.

Speaking as a faculty member, Scatena also says, “We try to be spirited for the kids.”

While it may be true that Aragon students tend to prioritize academics over many other things, school spirit is undoubtedly a contributor to the high school experience. “If everyone has school spirit,” senior Nicole Nasser says, “it would boost the school’s morale and energy, and the school as a whole would be more willing to try new things.”

Spirit may not be a mandatory assignment in high school, but it ultimately creates a sense of pride and unity throughout the school community.

“It makes me feel happy because we all want the same thing: for Aragon’s team to win,” concludes Tan.