Youth Soapbox

What is school spirit, and where is Tappan's school spirit?
These arc two questions which I would like to examine
in this editoriaL
In my opinion, school spirit is the enthusiastic belief in
interest toward one's institution of learning. What has hap.
pened to Tappan's spirit is a more difficult question to answer.
Some students argue that the kids have no spirit (one boy
remarked: "I think the only spirit is in the janitors and the
custodians.") Others vehemently disagree and argue that
Tappan's students have more spirit than most other schools.
I've settled on a happy medium. I think the spirit is there,
but it's hidden under the stiff blanket of an inhibited student·
teacher relationship among other things.
The students don't make an effort to get along with the
teachers, and the teachers are limited in being able to under·
stand the pupils by formidable hours and immense qualities
of paper work required of them by an uncomprehending ad·
ministrative apparatus that is poorly geared to the needs or
our time.
What are some or the results of this poor faculty-student
relationship? Predominant lack of interest and participation
in classroom discussions of any kind, litter in the halls and the
yards, acts of vandalism around the school building, and ex·
tremely weak attendance at football games. (At the last game I
went to last year, the players outnumbered the spectators,
two to one!)
With faculty-student cooperation, 1 think many of these
problems can be remedied. A committee could be formed,
for example, to make posters to publicize the upcoming games.
P.A. announcements ('Qncerning the games could be made
well in advance. Cheerleaders could perhaps be elected in the
!uturc to cheer the teams to victory.
I definitely think that if the faculty and students inter·
acted more effectively with each other, many . of the above
situations, including vandalism, litter, etc., could be corrected,
Don't get the idea, however, that Tappan has no spirit,
for it has plenty. The amounts of money and goods (like food,
soap, salt, pencils) raised for various projects over the years
is an example of fine school spirit.
But I think that with the help of the student council of.
fleers, the teachers, the student body and the football teams,
the blanket between the school and true, absolute school spirit
could be pcrmanenUy liflcd.