This week is the year’s fourth spirit week created by an enthusiastic team of Associated Student Body representatives working hard to increase Padre pride despite an historically apathetic reception to student involvement and school spirit.
But this year might be different. As Leigh Cambra, Carmel High’s activities coordinator for the last decade, says, “Enthusiasm is led by the seniors. This year’s seniors are very spirited so we are trying to build off their willingness to be involved.”
Cambra is not alone in planning activities this year. Due to what is being called the “Health bubble,” a result of Health being moved from sophomore to freshman year, AVID and history teacher Aubrey Powers has temporarily taken over the leadership class and is partnering with Cambra while she teaches the residual sophomore Health classes.
“There’s a good core group of seniors,” Powers says. “They have ideas that they’ve gotten from different leadership conferences and stuff that they want to try, so it has been fun to collaborate and come up with plans.”
From a relatively higher attendance rate at this year’s homecoming dance to a greater quantity of cans donated in the last round of the food drive to a larger amount of students participating in dress-up days, turnout and enthusiasm among the student body seems to have increased.
Juliet Sanders, a senior class officer, is enthusiastic and hopeful that ASB can create a positive campus impact and has been an ardent supporter of the year’s spirit days which she has helped to orchestrate.
“I really wanted to involve the school as much as possible,” Sanders comments. “I realized there isn’t that much school spirit at our school and nobody really does the dress-up days, so I thought, let’s incentivize it. By giving each class points it creates competition which encourages participation, and it did.”
Leadership has also been working to put the student back into the student body. As junior class president Bridger Coombs notes, ASB wants to encourage student involvement because that is what it is meant for.
This year sees the return of Raising Student Voice and Participation, or RSVP, a program based in the classroom, led by students for students. In the past, the program has helped add urinal dividers to the male bathrooms and further the debate for lights on the football field
Those involved with ASB hope the rise in student participation and enthusiasm for the various dress-up days, activities and dances will continue as they work to put their best energy into making the campus and school year more engaging and spirited for their peers.
–Aaron Kreitman