ASB promoted school spirit by hosting a free tie-dye activity in the quad as a fun addition to the usual events of Homecoming Spirit Week.
The event was held after school on Oct. 21 to promote positive feelings and school morale. It was created by Service Council, a new branch of ASB that was designed to help students become more involved with Carlmont.
ASB advisor Jim Kelly said, “Service Council creates events, such as the free tie-dying, to provide spirit activities that are different from traditional events. These activities help students feel more involved with Carlmont. Students who feel connected to their school tend to be more successful.”
According to Kelly, many students feel pressured and uncomfortable with dressing up for spirit days, making participating in events such as “Wacky Day” feel like a risky activity. The Service Council provides events that have smaller amounts of risk to help a larger variety of students to become involved with Carlmont.
The Service Council hosts small activities like free lemonade days in the quad this year and writing a valentine for every student last February. Their goal is to spread happiness among students with simple deeds. By making many of their activities free, Kelly emphasized how the Service Council doesn’t ask students for anything in return, but instead resembles a charitable association.
After school on Oct. 21, many students arrived in the quad to purchase white shirts to dye, or brought their own shirts from home to decorate.
Junior Candela Graciarena said, “The tie-dye activity was a great way for ASB to encourage school spirit in many people.”
ASB member Nour Zabaneh said, “We decided to do the tie-dye activity to boost school morale during Homecoming Week. Activities like this also help to involve different clubs, such as the Happiness Club, which helped us host this event.”
According to Kelly, Carlmont’s percentage of spirit participation is around 20 to 40 percent, while average schools remain around 10 percent. The increase of low-risk spirit activities could possibly boost the participation percentage for Carlmont even higher.
Graciarena said, “I really enjoyed tie-dying. This experience was definitely worth staying after school for.”
