Fostering School Spirit in Horizon West 

"Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success." – Henry Ford

New schools are popping up at record speed in Horizon West. Of the 22 school permits issued in Orange County, Horizon West received 10 of them. That’s almost half of the permits for the entire county going straight to our students! New schools bring resolution to many of the concerns with a rapidly growing community, but they also bring along some questions.

Schools give a sense of identity to students, creating a microcosm of community within their walls. Mascots, school colors, teams, clubs, events and the comradery of belonging allows students to nurture their social identities. Who remembers the nostalgia of a high school football game, a track meet you trained all year for, or the nerves you felt waiting backstage at a Thespian competition? Can you still feel the rush of excitement at your first pep rally or the surge of confidence that came from your school taking the title home? That’s the stuff that school spirit is made of!

But what happens when those students are asked to move to a new school, due to rezoning? How does a rapidly growing community like Horizon West counteract the potential consequences of disrupting the “us” that exists in a student body if the student body is ever-changing? We went looking for answers and in order to do that we had to start by asking the questions. Here’s what we found….

WHAT DOES SCHOOL SPIRIT MEAN?

From a variety of sources, we came to a fitting definition of what school spirit actually means to most people. School spirit refers to the sense of identity, community and support shared by members of the same institution. School spirit manifests when we proudly wear our school colors to pep rallies, when we cheer on our team at sporting events, when we applaud the thespians for their performances, when we volunteer with our club members in community service, when our mascot runs across the field and our band marches proudly behind. From the administration to the students and every level in between, school spirit is an action. It’s not something passive, but rather an active and contagious endeavor that sets the tone for the other people in your school community, much like a domino effect.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?

Being a student means being a part of community. The school community to which you belong creates a common bond, which- when embraced- creates a history for the members of that community. Studies have shown that a strong sense of school spirit has a positive correlation with achievement of students and that students who feel it tend to be more involved and more in tune with the opportunities which exist on their campus. If the social climate of a school is not defined by the negative construct of cliques or the alienation of being “the new kid”, but rather by a sense of community and belonging to the whole, it helps the individuals of that community reach a higher level of achievement and social satisfaction. So can we reason that school spirit is a vitally important part of the experience of being a student? We believe it is! We believe that helping our young people feel that they are “in it together” makes them happier, healthier students.

HOW DOES SCHOOL SPIRIT AFFECT THE COMMUNITY?

What does school spirit mean outside of school? It means many things, but most importantly it means that the young people of Horizon West are learning that, when a community of people has each other’s best interests in mind, everyone wins. When students take the time to show up for a game or buy a ticket to the show or be part of the student government, they are mirroring the experiences they will have as adults in their communities. As Horizon West grows, we- the community- are the cheerleaders; we are the stewards, the owners, the builders, the audiences. We are the people at the games, buying the tickets and sitting together at the table to discuss what things we want to see happen. A sense of school spirit paves the way for a sense of community spirit; of community pride. If we want to be a community that embraces change, we have to show up and support each other. We must learn to find common ground. We must be in it together.

SHOW YOUR SPIRIT!

As adult Horizon Westers, how do we show school spirit and help our youth thrive in new schools and connect despite rezoning? We can do our part by volunteering at their schools, taking part in events, lead through the PTO, cheer at the games, attend the performances, and sport school colors with pride! Leading by example is a great way to encourage our kids to catch the spirit bug and feel good about the school community to which they belong.

As back to school season begins and we welcome new schools into our midst, this is the time for a renewed sense of spirit. This is the time to lead our young people by showing them what it means to belong to a greater whole. This is the time to embrace change and bring out the best in Horizon West!

VISIT OUR HORIZON WEST SCHOOL GUIDE

to find a map of all Horizon West schools along with essential school info including Meet the Teacher Dates, School Ratings, Enrollment Information, the OCPS School Calendar and what it means to be a Walkable School