We bleed purple?

Zac Sweets, Student Life Editor
August 28, 2009
Filed under Opinion

Students that are associated with the Belton High School in any know Homecoming week is a big deal for other students and staff. All week long, students and staff alike wear their school spirit on their sleeve. The level of “Pirate Pride” is at its highest for this week. But when this week’s festivities have fizzled out, the school spirit quickly follows. As the year continues, the unity and excitement of homecoming and the football season is a mere fond memory.

With other sports seasons beginning the players have expectations of their team but not of their peers that should be there in the stands supporting them. In the halls, talks of the next game come up but they all end the same. “No I’m not going to the game” is the response so commonly heard. Just about the same response is heard when the question of whether or not to play a sport. The night of the game stands are only occupied by family of the players and few students without pushing capacity.

Look back to 1994’s BHS spirit week, Belton Alumni remember the sights and sounds of their school spirit. The halls were decorated far beyond any decoration for current spirit weeks. Everyone participates in spirit week. There are a hundred and fifty in pep club regardless of the sports season. Purple and gold, everyone had it on.

Being part of BHS today, the question we should ask ourselves is how do we, we the student body, get back to that? Back to those days when school pride and excitement was widely expressed just as the years prior to ours. The truth is this goes further than football games. So how do we breathe life back into our “Pirate Pride?”

The answer is as simple as you the reader, you the student. Lift up the school spirit by showing up for more than just a football game. Cheer on our volleyball team. Support our theatre by going to their shows. Don’t just say you won’t go to a game because the team isn’t doing well. Go out and cheer them on. When peers show up to a game and support their team it shows they take pride in their team’s efforts. If nothing else, show support for the people that bare the name of your school’s, their school’s name across their chest.

We must first walk the walk before we talk the talk. Don’t say “we bleed purple” because it sounds catchy; say it because it’s truly what you believe. Take this as a challenge and take this challenge upon yourself and I will do the same. In doing so we soon will be able to once again chant “we bleed purple” without any doubt in anyone’s mind that purple runs through our veins.