Missed drumlines, cancelled pep-rallies, an inactive student section, rained out games… A few weeks into to the year, the excitement seemed to disappear. How did this happen?

We came blame Hurricane Irma, which caused plans to be rushed and postponed. It started with the most anticipated game of the year, Hagerty versus Oviedo, held on a Thursday night. Then a week of school was washed away, the Pink’d game was rescheduled to a school night, and a football game against Lake Minneola was moved to a Tuesday. Most of the school missed the dramatic win, typical for the first quarter stops and starts that were a hit to the school’s energy.  

Football, however, was not the only Irma casualty. A girls volleyball tournament in Venice and a cross-country meet in Titusville were cancelled before the hurricane, and every sport has had the schedule rearranged.

Academically, students have been pressured with with a rush to finish quarter one material as teachers cram an extra week’s worth of work into a shortened time frame.

Maybe we should blame administration for harsher dress-code enforcement or not working in the Friday fun we are used to.

We get some blame too, as we have not shown up to events, and the energy has not been what we have had in the past, but no matter what or who we blame, we can all agree that the first quarter needs a re-do.

As a community, we came together after Hurricane Irma,  so why can’t we do the same in the second nine weeks?

We need to start with the biggest week of the year, homecoming, and, unlike other schools, ours was not rescheduled due to Irma. Leadership released dress-up days early, giving students more than enough time to plan.

The mardi gras theme starts Monday, Oct. 30 with Bling and Bougie, then Frat Tuesday, Mardi Grass Madness, followed by Duck Calls and Overalls and, of course, Friday’s School Spirit Day. Friday also marks the homecoming parade and football game against Timber Creek.

So instead of avoiding the parade and checking out early, why don’t we pack the student section and show the support we could not give during the first quarter?

And a spirit do-over is not all about football and homecoming. We can show up to winter chorus and band concerts, dance performances or drama’s “Anne Frank.”

Second quarter is a new opportunity for everyone, and it is here to be taken. Students might complain that the start of the year could have gone better, but if we take a step back, we will realize that there is still time to fix it.