Spirit-Pride-Tradition. We’ve all heard these words, we’ve seen them on t-shirts, but what do they really mean? When new students and teachers enter AHS how can we explain to them what our school means to us? The Colt went around campus and asked students and faculty what spirit, pride and tradition meant to them.

“Spirit, pride and tradition means embracing the long legacy of Arlington High School and maintaining the standards from yesteryear but also keeping current with the times and moving forward and how we can adapt those standards and change them to meet the needs of today.” Micah Green, theatre teacher

“Spirit, pride and tradition are a cornerstone of Arlington High School. It’s something that not any other school that I’ve been to has had. The saying ties us together with the people who graduated 50+ years ago and the kids who are coming in as freshmen. The concept should not be just a given though, we have to teach everybody what it means and why it’s important. Overall , I think it’s something you can feel right when you walk in the school.” Emily Miller, newspaper adviser

“To me, spirit, pride and tradition mean that someone is excited about making their school a better place, and they look for opportunities to show others why they enjoy being here and ways to help others.” Kristin Crocker, English teacher

“Spirit is being involved in your school, pride is being happy to be here representing your school, and tradition is just keeping things the way they used to be and maintaining the memory.” Naomi Cortes, senior

“Spirit, pride, and tradition is what sets Arlington High School apart from other schools. It’s the feeling that when you’re here, you’re family and you belong. It’s the student section at football games. It’s teachers dancing or doing a skit at pep rallies. It’s spirit halls, alumni teachers, “The Horse”, and the fight song. It’s students and teachers coming together and supporting each other after tragedy and in triumph. It’s linking pinkies at the end of games and pep rallies for the alma mater.” Stephanie Stewart, English teacher & cheer coach

“To me, spirit, pride and tradition mean that we repeat various things year after year, whether it be activities, certain traditions we do at pep rallies, sayings, spirit days or just student participation in general. It’s also the simply the ambiance at Arlington High. When I was first hired, I remember walking into this school and just feeling really good about it. I know that when the 9th graders came from junior high people thought the culture was going to change because there were so many new people coming, but no matter how many new people come to our school there’s still that feeling. There are students who have actually transferred to our school because they feel this warmth of friendship, and you don’t see as many isolated groups in our school as you do in other schools. I think there’s a feeling that when you walk into this building you feel a part of something more than just a school.” Francine Burris, English teacher

“To me, spirit pride and tradition is what this school was founded upon and what we continue to carry out today, even though the way by which we do that may change to fit who we are now, we still have that same heart that they had years ago. We see that not just in spirit days and pep rallies but in the way we care for each other, the way that we help each other, and the way that we just love our school.” Jennifer Nguyen, StuCo & PALs sponsor

“Spirit is the culture of the campus. It means the way that we feel about the school and the way that we get excited about the school. Pride is how we respect the people in the school, the building, and the content of what this is, which is education.  It’s the way that we uphold those values.  We see that it’s important that we pursue excellence in building relationships and making sure that we are inputting and outputting whatever the information is pertaining to education and tradition is respecting the past and continuing to carry it out with excellence.   spirit is showing enthusiasm and excitement  pride is the way that we respect people the way that we respect the school the way that we respect education.” Eboni Nix, assistant principal

“Well I feel like I kind of have an interesting perspective on this because I left Arlington about three quarters of the way through my sophomore year and went to PCA The old me would probably say Colt Football but when I left I really could feel the difference in schools I didn’t notice it while I was at Arlington High at first but to be in these hallways is just special it’s so different from PCA I really feel so much pride to be here and I feel blessed to be here too the school is almost like sacred to me because of its rich history and just how you feel to be a part of it and honestly I wouldn’t trade that feeling for the world I love Arlington High and I’m so glad that I was able to return for my senior year because the spirit, pride, and tradition isn’t just a thing that we say it’s a feeling that we get that’s so important to the school and its students.” Tanner Thompson, senior

“It basically means doing what is traditionally right for Arlington High School, which is honoring colors, knowing the alma mater and fight song, going to games and being a good student in general.” Jose Sanchez, Spanish teacher