“BON-DE-LEI-LEI” yells Will Kaback ‘16 at the top of his lungs during the Wolfpack football game. Kaback, alongside many seniors, has worked to keep up old spirit traditions and embed new ones. After a multi-year spirit slump, the Class of 2016 is trying to revive student participation and morale.

     Enthusiastic fan turnout has been crucial to this goal. Armaan Gori ‘16 comments, “Fans make the game better because they add another dimension to the game’s atmosphere. Obviously we play to win the game, no matter what the crowd is like, but when there is a huge fan section everyone plays a little bit harder.”

    Ella Lemke ‘17 reflects on the unusual number of fans that showed up to the Blake Girls’ volleyball match against Breck. She agrees with Gori’s point, saying “Having the encouragement and fans definitely made it a lot more fun and made beating Breck feel even better.“

     Another recruiting tactic to increase in turnout has been detailed Facebook events designed to inspire students to attend through humor. Brandon Boyd ‘16 explains, “I think that there’s the word-of-mouth aspect where people will be like ‘oh did you read that event description’ and I think that it draws people in and incites that interest and after that in the same vein people are more likely to go to that event.”

     Students are also utilizing their community organizing skills. SIAC and the Team Turnout committee recently met to plan halftime shows, put on during Homecoming games. The goal of these groups’ recent actions, according to member Danielle Pohlen ‘16, is  “to get more students involved with or sports teams and increase school spirit.”

     On a bigger scale, the class hopes to make the school community feel more engaged, entertained, and included.