Since starting at Campbell Hall in ninth grade, I have heard complaints that our school has no spirit. But is that really a bad thing? Sure, we as a school lack the school spirit we see in TV shows or movies like “High School Musical” or “Mean Girls”, but I wonder if our school really needs that.

   I think that it is okay that we don’t have the typical scenes of high school spirit; exciting prep rallies for the football team, grade rivalries, senior pranks. Looking at the bigger picture, Campbell Hall is just not like the typical high schools we see in the movies. We don’t have a football team, we don’t have a winter dance, we don’t have an enormous cafeteria with a table for the “jocks.” And that’s okay. As a senior now, I do believe that my four years at Campbell Hall have been an amazing experience where I have truly grown and learned. 

   I believe that Campbell Hall has redefined the definition of school spirit. While I recognize that we don’t have a flashy, traditional kind of school spirit, like all showing up in blue and gold at the homecoming carnival, I believe that our spirit is practiced more individually. I see student-athletes join a sports team because of their own love for the sport rather than to be cheered on by the whole school. Campbell Hall fosters a diverse environment through different interests at our school; it encourages students to follow their own true passions. Our school is filled with artists, dancers, musicians, engineers and athletes. Applying this perspective towards our actions, our school spirit isn’t tied to traditional football games for pep rallies, but rather supporting students in what helps them express their individual spirit. Our student body chooses to celebrate their own talents with people of similar interests.

   As a senior who just went through the college application process, I am deciding what type of college would be the best fit for me. While I have loved colleges with a strong sense of school spirit, I have seen that a college does not thrive solely on spirit. I love the idea of a tailgate before a big football game, but there is more than that to a school. Our school can have school spirit without it being their top priority, and rather their main priority be on something else, like our academics or community engagement.

   I understand that some students at Campbell Hall really want us as a community to go all-out; however, it can only be done by the students. Real spirit is hard to force. I barely see anyone go all-out during spirit week, or even on blue and gold free dress days. Looking at the Campbell Hall Gospel Choir, which is not something that all schools have, we can see the spirit that surrounds that group and influences a whole gymnasium. I am definitely not a singer, but I have found a lot of passion while being a member of the Gospel Choir. The niche version we have of school spirit in this loving environment Gospel Choir provides is one of the strongest examples of the natural and subtle spirit we as a community have. We have to find our spirit naturally, and support each other from there. 

   Even though I have witnessed a great push for us as a community to become more spirited, I believe that our quiet school spirit is what makes Campbell Hall, Campbell Hall. There is a difference between engagement and spirit, and I believe Campbell Hall students have devoted themselves to engagement and being grounded in community.