Opinion: Where’s the Lotus Spirit?

The high school experience is something that almost everyone looks forward to. A vital part of the high school experience is school spirit, which many students believe can be improved.

Lotus is lucky to be a small, diverse community allowing everyone to connect on a personal level, but in recent years, school spirit has declined. This decline detracts from the high school experience and is a disappointment to athletes representing the school. 

Lotus is filled with generations of great athletes; we have many talented people working hard to do their best on the field, court, and track. At Lotus, we have a strong support system in the athletic department. Coaches and athletic directors strive to see our athletes succeed. Having been a part of the Lotus community for numerous years, Coach Jackson has made great sacrifices for the benefit of Lotus. He has developed to ensure that Lotus consistently performs at its peak and flourishes.

When on the topic of school spirit he said, “School spirit is not an issue with people who work to make Lotus the greatness it is, but rather the students who chose to not engage and participate. Moving forward we need people to take leadership positions and get the spirit that was present before.” Though our lack of school spirit can be considered an issue, it is a benefit that we have so many solutions. Lotus offers many great values and a great environment which deserve high spirit along with them. 

A huge part of “the high school experience” is the sports teams. At Lotus we have the honor to have 2 year state runner-up boys high school soccer team, Top basketball program high school boys and girls, some of the best runners competing in track and field and cross country, speech and debate team, and high school girls volleyball team. The school spirit surrounding these sports teams is the foundation of success. The athletes will be able to achieve more feeling the support of everyone they represent and will thus carry the colors of the school proudly.

When asked to define school spirit, boys soccer manager Alexis Medina asserted, “School spirit is about establishing an atmosphere that supports student cooperation and creativity, not only supporting your team at athletic events. Students are more likely to be involved in activities that benefit the entire school community and be engaged in their academics when they experience a sense of belonging to their school.” With the vast amount of solutions we offer for the issue of school spirit, it is ultimately up to the students to make a difference; they have to take a step forward to provide a comfortable,  supportive environment for our great athletes so they can go above and beyond.