By Karen Hatter
What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “School Spirit”? Most often what comes to mind are actions associated with school sporting events and support of the teams. For example, at the basketball games, students sit in a pep section, they dress in the school colors and cheer the team to victory. When the school band plays the school’s fight song, everyone joins in with clapping and cheering. That’s a classic example of school spirit! The positive thing about this kind of school spirit is that it is contagious and, most importantly, it leads to a strong sense of school pride. Pride in our school is something we need to intentionally develop. When we have a sense of pride about what we are doing and accomplishing no one can take that away.This type of pride includes our sports teams but extends beyond athletics to the fundamental purpose of schooling – the education of our young people. So, not only do we say, “Go team!— we say, “Go students!”
Our teams and their accomplishments are an important part in building community spirit, pride and tradition. But an equal contributor to building pride comes when students participate in other school activities. Clubs provide service opportunities and focused extracurricular experiences for students. School choral and drama productions are an essential element in providing avenues for students to demonstrate their skills and talents. School academic teams showcase excellence in learning. These and other activities build lifelong interests and commitments for our students and provide a sense of accomplishment that we long to see in them.
Sometimes in the school system we find ourselves in a place where circumstances could diminish that sense of pride. Some may think that we are in such a place now with the identification of the high school as a Persistently Low Achieving School. But, it is that very sense of pride in the school and pride in the students that attend Lincoln County High School that keeps Principal Tim Godbey focused and committed in his work. He is determined to accomplish success for all students. That determination to keep working hard and moving forward is something that is contagious as well and I can see the evidence of that at work within our schools.
When I visit our schools and observe the quality of instructional that is going on in our classrooms I realize that the employees in Lincoln County are more focused and purposeful in their work than ever before. As we strive to ensure that every student is prepared to move on to grade 13 –and that he or she meets the college and career readiness challenge we will continue to grow in “school spirit” and pride. Our ‘team’ in this case includes all the district’s employees and the students, supported by their guardians.We need everyone in on this game!
So, in the next weeks as we progress on through the school year, may I suggest that you make an intentional effort to show your school spirit? You can do that by participating in school events and giving feedback to let the schools know what works and what doesn’t. Soon, we will be giving the family and community members some feedback tools to do just that. In the meantime, just give us a call or send an email. We are committed to taking the time to hear what you have to say and to responding in ways that give you reasons to say you are proud of Lincoln County Schools.
What do you think of when you hear the phrase, “School Spirit”? Most often what comes to mind are actions associated with school sporting events and support of the teams. For example, at the basketball games, students sit in a pep section, they dress in the school colors and cheer the team to victory. When the school band plays the school’s fight song, everyone joins in with clapping and cheering. That’s a classic example of school spirit! The positive thing about this kind of school spirit is that it is contagious and, most importantly, it leads to a strong sense of school pride. Pride in our school is something we need to intentionally develop. When we have a sense of pride about what we are doing and accomplishing no one can take that away.This type of pride includes our sports teams but extends beyond athletics to the fundamental purpose of schooling – the education of our young people. So, not only do we say, “Go team!— we say, “Go students!”
Our teams and their accomplishments are an important part in building community spirit, pride and tradition. But an equal contributor to building pride comes when students participate in other school activities. Clubs provide service opportunities and focused extracurricular experiences for students. School choral and drama productions are an essential element in providing avenues for students to demonstrate their skills and talents. School academic teams showcase excellence in learning. These and other activities build lifelong interests and commitments for our students and provide a sense of accomplishment that we long to see in them.
Sometimes in the school system we find ourselves in a place where circumstances could diminish that sense of pride. Some may think that we are in such a place now with the identification of the high school as a Persistently Low Achieving School. But, it is that very sense of pride in the school and pride in the students that attend Lincoln County High School that keeps Principal Tim Godbey focused and committed in his work. He is determined to accomplish success for all students. That determination to keep working hard and moving forward is something that is contagious as well and I can see the evidence of that at work within our schools.
When I visit our schools and observe the quality of instructional that is going on in our classrooms I realize that the employees in Lincoln County are more focused and purposeful in their work than ever before. As we strive to ensure that every student is prepared to move on to grade 13 –and that he or she meets the college and career readiness challenge we will continue to grow in “school spirit” and pride. Our ‘team’ in this case includes all the district’s employees and the students, supported by their guardians.We need everyone in on this game!
So, in the next weeks as we progress on through the school year, may I suggest that you make an intentional effort to show your school spirit? You can do that by participating in school events and giving feedback to let the schools know what works and what doesn’t. Soon, we will be giving the family and community members some feedback tools to do just that. In the meantime, just give us a call or send an email. We are committed to taking the time to hear what you have to say and to responding in ways that give you reasons to say you are proud of Lincoln County Schools.
