In the far-right bleachers facing Liu Court, a swarm of Maverick students fill the space with vibrant house colors, pirate hats and cowboy gear.
Seniors Emily Young, Adair Patterson and Tristan Faillace, this year’s Spirit Club captains, collaborate to create weekly themes, pep rallies, Instagram posts and fun activities.
In addition to showing spirit in school, Young, a captain of the cheerleading team, shows school spirit on the sidelines of football games. Upon entering Upper School, Young was initially unfamiliar with the amount of spirit, but she soon came to appreciate the out-of-school spirit days, donning her house colors and enjoying pep rallies every home game. Young joined the Spirit Club with the goal of spreading this excitement throughout all grades.
Another Spirit Captain, Faillace came to the School in eighth grade, facing a similar experience than his fellow captain. Moving from New York where school spirit and football culture was not as prominent, Faillace embraced the change in community.
“[School spirit] was probably the biggest thing that led to me feeling like a part of the community,” Faillace said. “So when I got to be a senior, I wanted to contribute to it.”
Patterson, who has been at the School since first grade, joined Spirit Club as a way to try to spread fun and inclusivity.
“It’s really important, especially in our serious and rigorous environment, to have an outlet of joy and energy,” Patterson said. “It might seem trivial, but it helps the community come together and make you feel like you belong.”
Despite the differences in their backgrounds, the Spirit Captains share the goal of bringing lively events and creating an enjoyable atmosphere for the School.
From pep rallies to football themes, the Spirit Club’s aims to create a closer-knit community and encourage fun, an effort noticed by the student body.
“[Spirit Club] gives us something to look forward to as a community, and it makes school spirit stronger because everybody’s more unified.” sophomore Anji Holm said.
While the outcome is rewarding, the behind-the-scenes process requires significant thought, consideration and passion. The captains have dedicated late nights and countless emails to ensuring that themes and pep rallies create unity between students.
“You have to be very dedicated,” Young said, adding that some of the Instagram posts have taken up to 10 hours.
Spirit Club strives to fully incorporate the School’s virtue of community into everyday student life. This year, captains plan to further their agenda by adding activities that promote connections between grades such as SAC Egg Drop, Ultimate Frisbee, Dodgeball and more, fostering inter-grade relations and interactions. Through these events,
“It helps bring people together,” junior Eva Ngu said. “It’s not something that’s limited to upperclassmen or seniors.”
Adults at the School recognize the positive impact of Spirit Club too. D’Hania Hunt, the Director of Community Engagement, Associate Director of Admission and cheer coach, believes in the importance of having a space for students to have fun. She encourages becoming involved in school spirit during the first years of high school, as it creates a tighter community and supports the continuation of student engagement.
“Get involved, really participate and embrace being a part of this community,” Hunt said.
