High school may not be the highlight of your life, but senior year should most definitely be the pinnacle of your high school experience. If there was ever a time to participate in spirit week activities, senior year would be it. We’re less than a year away from leaving the comfort of high school and becoming actual functioning members of society. This is our last year before we’re expected to be adults. Who knows the next time you’ll pretend to ride on an imaginary roller coaster after we graduate?

I’d be lying if I said I’ve always been the school-spirited type, though. Honestly, I spent my  first three years of high school somewhat indifferent to school spirit. For me, shortened classes on the days of pep assemblies were more anticipated than the pep assemblies themselves, football season was too chilly to be spent outside cheering for a sport I didn’t understand and spirit days always slipped my mind until walking into school that morning.

This year however, as the first of the last high school activities seniors will enjoy for the last time, I find myself putting in way more effort to participate than my previous three years combined.

For my final homecoming week, I went out of my way to dress up for each of the Valleywood themed spirit days, even going out on several occasions to buy clothes and other articles to complete spirit day outfits that weren’t already in my closet. While this is totally not necessary, some sort of participation is not only encouraged, but expected. It was super frustrating this year to see people “forget” every single day.

Failing to participate in spirit week results in having to face the wrath of your entire class and reasonably so. Participation is as easy as stopping by Wal-Mart for a $5 Superman T-shirt or texting a friend to borrow one.

Homecoming week was an interesting ordeal this year. On one day, I failed to come up with any superhero gear to wear. Like the three previous years, I was sure I could fly under the radar. Instead, my regular clothes were a hot topic, specifically in my AP Literature and Composition class. Many in the class felt it was necessary to bring attention to my blatant lack of school spirit. I was shocked by the sudden change in behavior of my classmates.

I was also told to “not be that person” by a classmate. You know that person: the one who refuses to participate in school activities and ruins it for the entire class. That was an interesting line, considering I had always been that person. School spirit has never been my thing. Although I do love Mill Valley to an extent, I feel I have better things to do than spend Fridays screaming about the football team. Plus, I’ve seen people participate in school events when they really don’t want to. It’s annoying, and I don’t want to be that person.

For the past three years, I was able to live like this in peace. I was able to politely clap at pep assemblies before staying home from the football game later that night. I did not think this year was going to be any different. The notion that I have to conjure up some school spirit just because I am a senior seems fake and insincere. I’m of the belief that high school will not be the greatest four years of my life, and suddenly becoming a spirited classmate probably won’t elevate the experience much.

I don’t have a problem with school spirit. When someone goes all out for spirit week, I have huge amounts of respect for that person. I just don’t feel I should be forced to participate in activities that I’ve never cared for before this year. I don’t believe it is a right of passage for seniors to participate in activites. Don’t take it personally, I’ll be spending the next four years acting exactly the same.