High school, the place stereotyped by teen movies to be a time to meet new friends and make memories that will last you a lifetime. Most movies would have you believe that all high schools are the same, full of school rallies, dances, and spirit filled sports games throughout the year to attend with the people you have bonded with.

Sadly, though it shouldn’t be a big secret to students, our school lacks a lot of these ideas that make high school memorable.

For the past two and a half years, voices I’ve heard in the halls express discontent with how Stagg isn’t “fun” and how it’s “boring.” Some complain that we have no school spirit, that there is nothing at Stagg that makes it different.

To those people who question why our school seems this way, I would ask you to ask yourselves a few questions.

Why do you think Stagg is dull? If the answer is that no events are ever happening, then please listen to the bulletin during fourth period on Mondays. Two students from ASB not only remind you of the fact that the Homework Center is open on certain days after school, but they also tell everyone about all the home sports games for the week and who it will be against. Students flock to football or basketball and practically leave most other sports in the dust.

When the soccer team has a home game, the bleachers are almost bare, filled by a few parents, some students, and the varsity team waiting for halftime of the JV game to start warming up. It’s a rather stark contrast to those same bleachers during the fall when football is in season.

Keeping all this in mind, what is your idea of fun? If having a dance or rally is what you think of, then when they announce the next dance, save money for a ticket. From what has been announced price wise, tickets are only about $5, with the exception of prom. The running theme with dances seems to be them ending with only a handful of people buying tickets and ultimately cancellation.

It all depends on a few different factors, though. The main one, though, is student involvement. There’s not much point on pushing for more events that will continuously be cut. Dances are something that you can look back on years from now and remember fondly.

When my mom tells me stories of what it was like when she attended Stagg, it sounds like she went to a different school than the one I am currently attending. She remembers her high school days not because of relationship or friendship drama or fights between students, but because of the spirit everyone on campus had.

The way she describes it, students walked through the halls with something more than pride. It was like brown and gold blood pumped through students’ veins. Everyone went to all the rallies and dances, and homecoming and prom weren’t the only ones.

At the same time, one thing that is a difference in the times is something quite major: technology.
Weekends are spent not going out with friends but rather staying in and staring mindlessly at phones, computers, and tablets.

Our generation considers watching a YouTube video more fun than meeting friends to hang out at the mall or go eat in many cases. While I cannot say that I have not done this before, it doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t rather be out doing something.

It’s strange that since my mom graduated high school, the addition of a piece of technology has practically replaced our sense of social interaction with people we call our best friends. We would rather sit at home texting our friends about how bored we are than get up and do something about it.

It makes me envious that she got the real stereotypical high school experience, but rather than be envious, I want to be able to do the same thing she is doing now in the future.

Let high school be something to remember fondly and look back on with a smile. No matter what other people are doing, have school spirit. Go to the dances that you and your friends can experience while others act like they are too cool to go. Attend sports games that not everyone else might not be at.

Don’t let anything stop you from having Stagg pride inside.