Over the years, school spirit has come across as a concern for the AISG community. With countless attempts to improve, and countless jokes made about it, perhaps it’s time to investigate the issue and see who’s really at fault: school event planners or students.

First of all, let’s address the fact that participation at school events can be anything from buying a ticket and attending an event, to being enthusiastic about an APAC sports team representing AISG in another country. The kinds of events held at our school range from pep rallies to creatively put together fund-raising events by community service groups. Often, students have many doubts about events held by community service groups unless they’ve been successful in the past.

Are students wrong to not be interested in events they have limited information about?

They’re not. Ms. Dean agrees, commenting, “it’s a concern for [community service] groups because they need to make their activities appealing to the students.” To raise funds, community service groups must pay close attention to students’ personal interests, in order to make events enjoyable and appealing to students. However, most groups are already aware of this, and many try their best to find out the students’ interests during planning. Coordinators of Roots and Shoots People, Alice Fiorito and Jacky Liu, agree and claim, “when we plan events or activities, we often find ourselves focusing most of our energy on how to get more people interested and how to get maximum student participation.”

However, is it possible to find out the students’ interests if there is no response from them?

Mr.Tragert’s “opinion is that AISG has some really great events, but perhaps we try to do too much.” Perhaps that’s the issue. Since community service groups aren’t getting the right input from students about what they would truly enjoy, they come up with ambitious ideas which don’t suit the students’ preferences. Often, students prefer a relaxed setting where they can simply spend time with their friends. For example, in Mr. Tragert’s words, “Pulse has struggled for the past two years to get people to attend its Winter Formal; however, Pulse decided to try something different this time around.” They opted for a much simpler setting and advertised the hot chocolate, roasting marshmallows, snacks and live performances, which naturally students appreciated. This led to the creation of Bonfire Night, which, based on ticket sales and attendance, was definitely a success.

So, what made Pulse make this decision?

Belle Feldmayer, coordinator of Pulse, explains, “we tried to list experiences which we enjoy in our daily lives and based an event around that. Bonfires are generally enjoyed by many, and when we asked fellow students how they would feel about the event, the response seemed positive.”

At the end of the day, the people that are part of community service groups and event organization are students themselves, and of the same age group. This is why, perhaps, students expect them to know what would be enjoyable for the rest of the student body. But what gets lost in the thinking process is simplicity. Community service groups feel a constant pressure to come up with an idea more interesting and enjoyable than the last—one that more students would want to engage in.

Community service groups require general student input to be able to focus the groups’ time, efforts, and money into the right places. If they don’t get student feedback on their initial ideas, they aren’t able to make the event itself better than the students’ expectations. Eleventh grader Megan Harwood explains, “a lot of students feel like they’re forced [to attend] school events so automatically they tie them to just being boring.”

This is why it’s important for students to understand that it’s okay to be critical as long as it’s for the better of our community as a whole.

Community service groups can’t make their events enjoyable to the fullest if they have no general student input—thus, students won’t enjoy the events to the fullest if they don’t provide helpful statements to the groups. 

Ms. Dean clarifies, “it’s incumbent upon the students to at least be willing to engage.” It’s completely understandable that students are “spread so thinly with after-school commitments, sports, tutoring, and extra classes.” But at the same time, “having a connected community is important to a sense of happiness.”

Mr. Tragert continues,

“If anyone doesn’t like the events that are being planned, get involved and make a difference. If anyone does like the events, get involved and help make them better.”

In four years’ time, you won’t remember how you made hilarious jokes with your friends about that one event that failed. But you will remember all the fun you had with your friends at that one amazing event.

That’s why we’re doing this once again. Hannah Eng started this trend last year, and in her words, “instead of just complaining, we should each do our part to be more spirited individuals, as every little step counts. At The Beacon, we are initiating a pledge to increase our school spirit, and we hope that each of you will also take part in it.”

AISG Beacon School Spirit Pledge

Before the end of the school year, I pledge to attend two sports games (high school soccer, badminton) and two non-sport events (concerts, talent show, prom, spring play, IB art exhibition, IB music recitals, International Day) with a supportive attitude. I also pledge to be attentive and cheer at pep rallies.

*This does not include sports that you are a part of or events that you organize.

If this pledge interests you, please add a comment below with your name and grade. Follow the comment by adding another comment identifying the events you attend – feel free to talk about the event 🙂 By following through with the pledge, you will receive an invitation to a sponsored event by The Beacon, which will include baked goods and pizza.

If you feel that you already embody school spirit, please send an email to bargaj@aisgz.org or 07khannat@aisgz.org with images attached that showcase your school spirit. We will be featuring you in a post which displays AISG’s well-connected community and its spirit.