It was towards the end of the first semester in the 2020-2021 school year that I first walked into the building. Everything was completely different coming from Keith Valley. Masks covered everyone’s faces, we had to sit at desks six feet apart, all while adjusting to the new building.

During these times, opinions differed, “What was the right and wrong way to approach the pandemic?” The answer wasn’t obvious, which kept dividing people even further. With this division came the lowest showing of school spirit I have seen. 

Sports were no longer the main talk of the school, which usually is in most cases: it was about the pandemic. Even when sports were brought up, it was always related to the virus. “When were masks going to come off?” “Masks should stay on our players to maintain safety.”

Now that the pandemic seems to have fled our school system, I feel as though school spirit is back, better than ever. Everyone is proud to wear Hatters gear in and around the community. We are seeing so many winning sports seasons at our fingertips. We have in-school events bringing the district closer together. For example, Red and Back night, an event full of competitive activities between classmates. The 2021 Red and Black night was fun, but it didn’t even compare to last year. The eye test showed that there was less people present at the 2021 Red and Black night compared to in 2022. The environment of the gym created a fun, competitive and almost hostile playing ground. Each team was rooting for each other, but seemingly more rooting against the other team. This rippled through the school for a long time, creating that fun competitive spirit once again. Students started to show out for more sporting events and rooting for the Hatters. Students began to feel how important and fun it was to all simultaneously root for each other.

Previously, the school seemed divided, but now it feels united. Everyone is all coming together for the same thing, for the Hatters to succeed. This can be on the sports fields, but it is also seen throughout the classroom.

Teachers do a great job participating with the students. So many amazing teachers at our school make it more than lessons, they make it fun and enjoyable. They ask how their students are doing emotionally, they ask how they played in their sport the previous day, they ask what they are doing on their Friday nights. The district community in the high school seems tighter than ever, and teachers deserve appreciation for this.

This past week, the school hosted a spirit week. This week is so much fun for all, with each day having a specific themes for each day. Monday was PJ day, Tuesday was Soccer Moms vs. BBQ Dads, Wednesday was jersey day, Thursday was Neon, Friday was hatter pride class color day (where you wear a color based off your class), and Friday nights football game was a pink out. All these themed days lead up to the disco themed homecoming dance. The school was booming with spirit throughout the week, with many participants partaking in each day. The football game was electric, with the student body being the 12th man on the field.  

Over the past couple of years we have seen our school tested, and I feel as though we prevailed, healthier in spirit than ever. Classrooms display Hatter pride and sports display Hatter dominance. All the variables for a prideful school are all present, and this is making the student life at Hatboro-Horsham something others should be jealous of.