With this week being spirit week, school spirit has become a prominent matter of discussion. Students and staff are now able to physically see the amount of spirit our school possesses based on how many students are participating. This brings us to the question many students have heard before: how much school spirit do we have, and how do we improve it?

If someone who didn’t know De Soto High School went to a football game and looked at our student section, they would most likely come to the conclusion that we have tons of school pride. In this aspect, we do. The student section has dramatically increased their participation and morale, even in only a few years. From my time in the bleachers as a freshman to now, as a junior, I see more and more people getting enthusiastic.

However, in reality, school spirit is more than attending a football game and cheering when we score a touchdown. That is a part of it, of course, but it’s the easiest part. Nearly everyone can attend a game on a Friday night, because, ‘What else do I have to do?’

The more difficult parts of spirit are the parts that aren’t as recognized. These include attending volleyball games, soccer games and basketball games. It also includes things that aren’t sports-related, such as participating in clubs, supporting the marketing team and wearing spirit wear.

I’m not the golden-child of school spirit. I don’t spend every waking minute on campus, and I’m not involved in every activity we offer. I need to improve my spirit, too. We, as a whole, need to improve. That’s what makes us a unified school; we do things together.

So how can we improve? Not all of us can attend every event or participate in multiple activities. Some of us have difficult classes, lots of homework or jobs. For those who can’t participate in the big things, however, know that spirit is more than that. Spirit is found in the small things, and when everybody does one small thing, it creates something huge.

Want to get involved? Tweet about something cool at DHS. Wear Wildcat merchandise. If you can’t do that, there are even simpler ways to have spirit. As spirit is an intangible source of pride and positivity, you don’t have to physically represent it. If everyone at DHS has a positive mindset about our school, our school will radiate with vibrations full of school spirit. Positivity is contagious, and this type of atmosphere may not visibly show, but you will be able to feel it as soon as you walk in the doors.

All in all, there are no excuses to not have spirit. If you couldn’t attend the football game, so be it. We all have lives that exist outside of school, and no one expects you to eat, sleep and breathe De Soto green. However, every single person can have a spirited mindset, and while it doesn’t seem like much at first, everyone can contribute to a more lively DHS.