Who's got spirit?!?! We DO!

My high school class, WAHS 1997, was probably the worst class in history when it comes to school spirit. As seniors we had the spirit stick stolen from us by the juniors! This fall I witnessed some true school spirit. We were having our Thursday night special, Mi Rancho and then Kline's, when Waynesboro High School students quickly grabbed our attention. What looked like the entire school of students, marched out of the school and down main street. They ended up at Constitution Park by the river for a bonfire pep rally. I felt like I was watching an episode of Friday Night Lights! (Which by the way, I would do anything to get back on cable!) I would have loved to have that kind of spirit when we were in high school.

This leads to my real story of the night, our annual canned food drive at my school. Traditionally, there are a few teachers who go all out and try to get their students involved while the others bring in a measly five cans a class. I am one of the few that LOVES the competition. Anytime I can do anything to get my kids excited about something like Halloween, Spirit Week, Student-Faculty Games or the Canned Food Drive, I'm all over it. I think it's important for there to be a sense of community within the school and without these activities and friendly competitions these kids will end up losing the spirit stick too!

So, this is the deal...as of today, my STING class brought in 156 cans. Not bad, but last year we were over 300 and the winning class was over 700. Tomorrow is the last day of the collection. On our way home from Mi Rancho, Rich and I stopped by the Sharp Shopper to check out their deals. We decided that since we are not doing Christmas this year we'd put our money into the canned food drive. We hit the jackpot with the Sharp Shopper--4 cans for $1!!! I hope the other classes don't mind when I roll up in the parking lot and unload all 220 cans....that's right, two hundred twenty! As Mr Wright, my classroom neighbor and most spirited rival, said today, "the only thing that matters is who shows up during the fourth quarter!" My class very well may not come out on top tomorrow, but it won't be for lack of spirit! Hopefully, my kids will continue the gift of giving as they grow up.