Due to the pandemic, the cancellation of traditional high school events, including homecoming, class socials, freshman orientation, etc., has required the members of the school’s Associated Student Body (ASB) to rise to the challenge of promoting school spirit and community in an online setting. So far, they have not disappointed.
Since as early as last June, ASB has been meeting regularly with their respective committees to brainstorm and plan a diverse array of virtual get-togethers, competitions, and other events for the duration of school closure.
“I’m very proud of the way that ASB has reacted [to the situation of being online],” ASB president Ava Kopp said. “…All of my fellow ASBers have taken initiative, and everybody’s been really good about brainstorming and bringing ideas to the table.”
Some ideas have been carried out already, such as the freshman trivia night, the back-to-school spirit week, and the recent Among Us game night. Other plans are well underway.
For example, this past Halloween, ASB hosted a pumpkin carving contest where students sent their creations to @spartythespartan on Instagram to compete against others. A Halloween spirit week also took place, concluding with a costume contest between students’ second period classes last Friday.
Other plans for the future include a drive-in movie night, more virtual game nights, random acts of kindness weeks, and a virtual talent show. According to Kopp, ASB is also hoping to create a virtual alternative to homecoming in January.
“The idea there is because football and other sports that homecoming revolves around is being pushed to January…we can have more student participation because people are excited about seeing their friends play,” Kopp said.
“We’re also talking to performing arts and seeing if we can coordinate… to make homecoming virtually the best it can be.”
General Activities committee member Abby Westcott shares that as of current, many new ideas are in the air and up for experimentation— and along the way, challenges are addressed and ideas for improvement are implemented.
“I think it’s figuring out what people really enjoy and what gets people to come, especially when there’s not as much motivation online as there would be in person…once we figure out what people like, then we’ll continue more of those [activities],” Westcott said.
One primary challenge is being able to reach a larger audience, according to Kopp. ASB’s recent launching of their Canvas page is envisioned to connect different groups of audience members through one centralized platform, all the while keeping them informed on announcements, events, and other information.
Student engagement and participation has also been an obstacle, though not a new one. However, this has only further encouraged ASB’s intentions of establishing inclusivity and community among the student body.
“We understand that spirit weeks [and such] aren’t for everybody, and we respect that,” said Kopp. “While we may not get 100 percent student participation, we’re definitely striving to improve on each event that we plan.”