Graphic by Lexi Marcellino

Raised above cheering crowds of seniors, the Spirit Stick stands tall as a symbol of Spirit Week success. Students scream and shout at the thought of winning a measly stick. Afterwards, the winning class will parade the Spirit Stick like a winning lottery ticket.

I feel a bit of a second-hand embarrassment for the craziness that ensues over the Spirit Stick. With chipped gold paint on an old wooden stick, it is no pretty sight. Despite this, students flaunt it like it actually means something. No matter what any senior or alumni will tell you, the Spirit Stick means little to nothing.

After the Spirit Stick’s one day of glory at the pep rally, it lies in The Muse room (for no apparent reason), collecting dust until the last day of Spirit Week where it again has only a few moments in the spotlight. Then back to Room 1-305 it goes. This golden stick bears no significance throughout the year, failing to remind the winning class of its success.

The whole idea of a Spirit Stick should be scrapped. This may sound rash- and may not be a popular solution- but the harsh truth is that the artwork, while probably nice when first made, has deteriorated in quality over time. The so-called “tradition” of the Spirit Stick is not very memorable or even renowned by a large part of the student body. Along with this, students don’t generally compete in Spirit Week to win the Spirit Stick but to represent their class pride. The Spirit Stick does little to boost their pride, as it sits in a random classroom all year.

Instead of this meaningless prize, I propose a real prize, one seniors will remember and fight for. A giant golden banner hung in the gymnasium with every year’s winner printed on it would be large and flashy enough to satisfy the winner of Spirit Week. The finishing touch to the week-long events would be the addition of a the winning class to the banner. When alumni come back to Dreyfoos, they can look proudly to the rafters for the hard work that gave them a spot on the Spirit Banner.

This would all have a lot more significance if we did not already know the seniors would win; however, it is a Dreyfoos tradition for seniors to earn the title of Spirit Week champions. Essentially, the Spirit Stick is a gift to the seniors for enduring four years of High School under the guise that it was rightfully won. In many instances it is not. No matter how great of a week the other classes are having, the seniors will triumph. It is no surprise and the build up to the winner’s announcement does not fool anyone. At this point, earning second place is more exciting than first.

If we, as a student body, intend to have the greatest and most competitive Spirit Week possible, the Spirit Stick must go and with it the ways of past Spirit Weeks. Dreyfoos is built on traditions, whether it be Freshman Hill, Senior Day, dressing up for Halloween, or seniors winning Spirit Week. The Spirit Stick does not belong as one of Dreyfoos’ strong traditions. A new era of Spirit Week must begin.