A couple of football seasons ago, students would be lucky to find a spot during kickoff at Sam Momary Stadium. But in just two years, the conditions of home football games are noticeably different, with the student section barely halfway full at most games. However, it is hard to pinpoint what exactly went wrong. Hagerty has a record-breaking population of 2,580 students, but they are less spirited than ever. The main culprits? Off-campus periods and a lack of participation.

With the rise of student involvement in online learning and dual enrollment courses, students are on campus less and less during the actual school day. While it is good that students are taking advantage of these higher-level courses, it is leading to a major disconnect in their participation in school activities.

At the pep rally on Sept. 13, the senior section was half full and the home section at football games also being bare. Hagerty is a relatively new school at just 20 years old, and it doesn’t have nearly as much camaraderie as other local schools like rival Oviedo, with less time for the development of key traditions or school identity. 

So what’s the solution?

More events on campus should be held to raise student involvement. The school should host more pep rallies and parade activities to increase excitement about upcoming sports games and pride for their school.

While Leadership does offer candy to students wearing Hagerty apparel on Fridays, many students seem to be uninformed about the reward system, indicating a clear disconnect between Leadership and students themselves. Morning announcements are a helpful way for students to be informed about events and activities, but hundreds of students have first and second periods off campus. Social media does help reach more students who may not listen to the announcements; however, there should be more promotion within each class’s eCampus pages, so the maximum number of students would be able to see it.

While homecoming dress-up days are one event that most students participate in, winter week dress-up days are far less popular. Student voices should be taken into account to increase participation. The correlation is clear—if students like the themes, they are more likely to dress up.

Arguably, the senior class has the largest role in school spirit. Many seniors created senior crowns to wear on the first day of school and were encouraged to wear them every Friday and at every home football game, but the trend quickly fell off after the first day.

More incentives for students who participate in spirit-related activities could be a helpful way to get more students involved, as they might feel more motivated if there was something they could get in return for being spirited. Leadership and administration should work with the senior class to create more events catered towards celebrating them, like the popular Senior Sunrise at the beginning of the school year, which would effectively make them more spirited. 

Although Hagerty is rated top in Seminole County for its academics, it is clear that the student body is missing the fun. While administration and Leadership could be doing more to create a spirited environment, the student body should also have the initiative to be involved in activities. Pep rallies, football games and dress-up days should be the time for the entire student body to be involved. Whether that be through more fun games during the pep rally and even during break, or a clearer reward system for students who do get involved, Leadership, school administration and the student body should work together to create more events to foster spirit and better cultivate a school community.