By Sara Rogers
<[email protected]>

As a member of the newest Senior Class here, I feel obligated to address our embarrassing lack of school spirit and overall enthusiasm. I am by no means trying to belittle our accomplishments as a whole.

Undeniably, the Class of 2011 has excelled academically, athletically and otherwise both inside and outside of CHS. So why is it that we struggle to excel in demonstrating school spirit? It’s the responsibility of the Senior Class to set a precedent for underclassmen. School spirit starts at the top. This year our classmates will serve as team captains, club presidents, leading roles and top musicians. In comparison, it does not take much to show support for those people who have put in countless hours of hard work and effort to get those positions.

Statistics from previous years help provide actual merit for this argument. In the past three years, the Class of 2011 has never won a major Homecoming event. In fact, last year even the Freshman Class had a higher participation rate in Homecoming-related activities, such as playhouse building and the 5K run.  It would be upsetting to be one of the only senior classes never to win an event.

I challenge the Senior Class to step it up and set an example starting today. In order to make this process as simple and effortless as possible, here are some suggestions.

1. Participate in spirit days. Embrace an opportunity that involves dressing up like a 5-year-old, superhero or Harry Potter character without consequence. If this is entirely too unbearable, at least wear Carmel spirit wear.

2. Attend a sporting event. Whether football, soccer or tennis, seniors should pack the stands. After three years of standing behind the other seniors, it is our turn to crowd the front row and lead the cheers. Join spirit clubs such as Wild Bunch or Big Game to find opportunities to support your Hounds.

3. Get friends to join. Going to a game, joining a club or participating in a spirit day is far less intimidating when you know you aren’t going in alone. The more students get involved, the greater the difference.

Don’t forget there are 36 weeks left before graduation. That means our class has 36 weeks to leave a lasting impression on underclassmen and the Carmel community. Whether students acknowledge it or not, CHS presents endless opportunities for students to grow academically, socially and otherwise.

In the next year, we should strive to leave behind even more than what CHS has provided to us. Three years ago, administrators told us how “you can only take what you leave behind.”

Well this is it, seniors. It’s time to step it up and leave behind our mark on CHS.