If you go up to a college alum and ask them what their school’s fight song is, they will most likely recite the lyrics to you loud and proud. If you go up to a Lafayette student and ask the same question, chances are you will get a blank stare
The fight song is played every time Lafayette scores a touchdown, every pep assembly, and each quarter at basketball games. “I had no idea we had a fight song,” Lafayette graduate Ali MacNair said. With the song being played so often, many would think that the song’s title wouldn’t be such a mystery.
Not to say that Lafayette students don’t have any school spirit. Friday night football games are highly attended and during Homecoming Week students show their support by wearing black and gold. “Homecoming was really the only time I would show school spirit,” MacNair said.
But some could say there is still a good amount of people who have little or no school spirit at all, which may be due to a number of different reasons, “it is hard to attend and support a contest after school when you are playing in a contest at the same time. When you add in the expectation to excel academically, including the demand for homework, time availability is limited,” Acticvities Director Steve Berry said.
Students who do show their support, do so in a variety ways, “I wear LHS apparel and my team uniform when we have games. I also go to plays and get involved,” sophomore Alli Grant said.
One of the main ways students get involved is by joining Supefans. Berry said the Superfan membership has grown every year over the past four years.
“There are so many options for students to participate in and so many students participating that it spreads our student body very thin,” Berry said.
MacNair said, “even though we do have a lot of dress up days, some of the ideas are kind of lame, which is why a lot of people don’t bother.”
“They could try to be more rewarding to the people that do participate or have the students vote on what activities to do in spirit weeks,” Grant said.
Berry added the school needs to continue to offer special items to those who support and attend Lafayette events. And that the school needs to capitalize on social media to promote various events, along with trying to develop an alumni support group.
In the end, lack of support for school events, may not be due to conflicted schedules and students being unaware of what events are happening that day, but because of a lack of interest, “most teenagers may think that in some ways it is not ‘cool’ to support their school,” Grant said.
