Wilsonville students & staff,
I want to revisit the idea of school spirit. When our assembly before winter break was announced as a celebration of “fall sports,” a few thoughts ran through my mind.
Our Wilsonville High School anthem declares school spirit as our winning characteristic: “… we’re taking pride in all of our teams; with our spirit, we will win.” But what is school spirit? Let’s break it down.
The words “all” and “will” are doing the heavy lifting in that phrase of our fight song. “All” is an inclusive word. Pride doesn’t end with only the teams that bring home trophies and medals—it’s exactly the opposite; our school spirit doesn’t end anywhere. It continues through the wins, losses, ups, downs, and everything in between.
The second part of the phrase is an affirmation statement. There’s no question about it: with our spirit, we will win. With championship victories galore, Wilsonville proves itself over and over again as one of the most dominant 5A schools in the Oregon high school sports realm. But true victory isn’t in the hardware. True victory is in the celebration of our collective student body.
It’s crucial to recognize that Randall Stadium wasn’t the only place where Wilsonville was winning at the time of the assembly. The theatre department performed Anastasia seven times in two weeks; the student-led Dia de los Muertos festival attracted the community in a night of celebration and good food; our Wilsonville band, choir, and orchestra programs had just come together for two nights to share music with the wider Wilsonville community and celebrate the holiday season; our robotics team traveled to Sacramento and competed with teams from across the country.
And that’s not an exhaustive list. Wilsonville isn’t just incredible and unique because of strong sports programs. We’re incredible and unique because of our diversity in talent and skillset, as evidenced by our wins in theatre, music, art, robotics, sports, academics, and more.
So, why don’t we celebrate that?
Staff: Some of you have been at Wilsonville High School for decades; others are new. I encourage you to take pride in the students you teach daily by supporting them outside of the classroom. As teachers and administrators, you are the foundation of school culture. When we attend an assembly that limits our school’s perceived wins to “fall sports,” does that reflect the inclusive ‘school spirit’ we claim to cultivate? Is that representative of the student body? That message sends an implied limited focus that tells students what to focus on (sports), and what to ignore or deem less relevant or worthy of recognition (everything else). Is it surprising, then, that the vast majority of students have never been to a WVHS music concert? That students don’t know about or check out the art exhibits? When students roll their eyes when anything other than sports is promoted on the PA system or social media?
Students: Don’t limit yourself to just one activity or club. Don’t just be the “soccer kid,” or the “robotics nerd,” or the “artist.” Expand your horizons. Get off the high horse and come alongside your peers. As Troy Bolton in High School Musical stated, “We’re all in this together.” Take pride in the activities you participate in, the people you surround yourself with, and the peers you support. We spend four years together; we might as well make the most of our time here.
If you’re a teacher who never goes to assemblies, check out the great work ASB Leadership produces each year. If you’re an athlete, go support the band that plays at your games by attending a concert. If you’re a robotics enthusiast, go to a sports game. If academics is your strong suit, try joining a new club.
By supporting other clubs and programs, you support the clubs and programs you are a part of as well. Advocating for others builds a culture of sportsmanship, pride, unity, solidarity, celebration; this is school spirit.
To bring it all together, “Taking pride in all of our teams” is the true meaning of school spirit. And with it, “We will win!”
Wildcats, don’t be bashful about how you involve yourself or close yourself off from everything WVHS offers just because you’re not directly involved. Proclaim your school spirit from the rooftops by championing your teammates, colleagues, friends, peers, and fellow Wildcats. We are more than a championship-laden school. We are a diversity-laden school. With school spirit, we will be undefeated forever. Let’s create a celebration culture.
This story originally appeared as the editorial in The Paw Print: Volume 9, Issue 2 on January 16th, 2025.
