School Spirit

Last week, we entered a competition about school spirit, and our students and staff did a great job of demonstrating it last Friday with the sea of green attire and hallway decorations.  The whole thing got me thinking about school spirit and how it is part of what makes Perry Central a special place.

The Perry Central Commodores grew from the consolidation of many small schools that had to give up a bit of their identity to become part of something greater.  It took courage and vision to bring together this school community back then, and we are grateful for those who led the charge.  We take pride in Perry Central, and most of us who have grown up amid the rolling hills of rural Perry County (or landed here by some stroke of luck) identify ourselves by our school.  We are Commodores; we bleed green.  One needs only attend a Perry Central athletic event to see this in action.  No matter how good or bad our team, our community shows up to support it.  That is pretty special.  

That said, true school spirit, to me, is a balance of pride and humility.  Sure, we want to win, and we celebrate when we do.  But what makes me really proud is when I see our students and community stand and clap during the other team's starting line up.  What makes me proud is when we stand and applaud for an opposing team's injured player as she leaves the court. What makes me proud is when our students cheer for their team, rather than against the other team. That is school spirit, but more, it is an outward demonstration of who we want to be--the kind of people who treat others right, regardless of whether that kindness is returned.  While we have all seen a moment here and there where we failed in this endeavor, the vast majority of the time, Commodore Spirit shines as an outward symbol of who we are at heart.  For all my fellow Commodores out there, thanks for being part of that tradition.  And as Mr. Edd Ransom would say, "Go Big Green!"