Scarsdale High School’s sports teams just ended arguably the most successful fall season in the school’s existence. Two teams won state championships: the boys varsity soccer team and the girls varsity tennis team. The girls field hockey team and boys volleyball team both won section 1 titles, and the girls field hockey team also won the region. State championships are extremely uncommon, so winning two in one season is a remarkable and historic feat.

One would expect such unparalleled success to garner very emphatic support and immense school pride, in addition to high excitement for the winter season. While there was no shortcoming of support, much of the high energy slowly fizzled out. This is evidenced by the fairly low number of students who dressed up for the preplanned, predetermined “Raider Pride Week.”

A lot of students noticed the trend of few people participating in the costume ideas chosen for each day of the week. “It’s a good idea but people don’t participate enough,” stated Natalie Gutstadt ’25. Other students had a similar perspective. “Besides Blackout Day and Jersey Day, there was barely any spirit,” said Andy Garcia ’25. There is a widespread opinion that there could be much more school spirit, especially in a week put aside for “Raider Pride.”

Many students expected a greater showing of pride for Scarsdale’s teams, “It surprised me that people wouldn’t dress up to support the successful Scarsdale teams. This was a historic season, and it should have been matched with a higher level of school spirit,” said David Dyner ’25.

Some students have expressed the opinion that SHS student government had failed in promoting the schoolwide event, while others thought that it is the students’ responsibility to show their spirit. “The costume ideas only tailor to people that possess that clothing. Maybe they should notify people earlier, and give more time for people to prepare for the week,” stated Joey Charnow ’25. Ryan Feldman ’25 countered Charnow’s view, placing the blame on the students. “The school government got the word out. They put posters on the wall, among other things. Many students saw the posters, and chose to ignore them,” said Feldman. Gutstadt simply attributed the letdown to classic groupthink. “Nobody really starts the trend, so people don’t feel like they want to dress up,” Gutstadt explained. “It needs to become a trend. If everyone does it and it starts to become popular, then it will become something everyone does,” Gutstadt added.

Whoever was at fault for the letdown, it is apparent that the idea of school spirit is rather important to students. Despite the fact that not many students dressed up during the designated week, other opportunities still exist for showing spirit. There will be plenty of sporting events in the winter and spring seasons for students to attend, and students should make an effort to attend these events. The lack of costumes during spirit week should not be seen as an indicator that the student body does not care about school spirit and sports overall. Instead, it should be seen as an opportunity for revisions to Raider Pride Weeks in the future.