During spirit weeks where all are invited to dress up, not only can students notice teachers show off their Bruin pride but also build stronger relationships with each other through spirited interactions. Whether through greetings in the hallways or competitions such as spirit week costume contests, the SCHS faculty, many feel, has important relationships with each other.
When students see the environment teachers create during spirit weeks, it often inspires them to get involved. Math teacher Anthony Brasil shared that students seeing teachers participate shows them that anyone can be involved in school spirit.
“As a school, we’re trying to get more inclusive. We offer opportunities to everybody, but if you don’t feel like you’re a part of it, then you don’t choose to do it,” Brasil said. “I hope students seeing teachers participate shows them that it’s fun.”
Science teacher Carissa Cayanan noted that when she was a student and witnessing her teachers participate in spirit weeks encouraged her to get partake, both as a student and as a teacher.
“I would notice some of my teachers dressing up, and I thought if they could, why wouldn’t I? So I decided that when I became a teacher, I would totally dress up,” Cayanan said.
Physical education teacher Julie Kawamoto believes relationships within and between departments can help build school spirit as she believes friendship is arguably one of the most important factors in a fun school environment.
“Being able to rely on key individuals has given me a boost when I needed it the most, and I appreciate each of these individuals as friends and not just coworkers,” Kawamoto said.
Outside of school, the departments interact through staff events, such as bowling. Kawamoto shared that events, especially competitions, bring a lot of different teachers together.
“For bowling, we probably had about 30 teachers there. It was amazing. I know way back when we had a softball game, I saw teachers that I didn’t really know. They came out, and I got to know them. They actually had some kind of personality and wanted to have fun, so I wanted them to be my friends,” Kawamoto said. “But when it’s a competition, it seems like more teachers like to join in.”
There are also instances where staff work together against students instead of competing against departments. Kawamoto shared that during BOTC last year, staff competed against the winning class of the tug of war.
“That was one of the first times we had a bunch of teachers wanting to take part in something,” Kawamoto said. “That definitely boosted up that morale, and everyone was hyped up. I want to continue to do events like these.”
Similarly, Cayanan enjoys teacher events, as they give her a great opportunity to socialize with teachers in other departments. Due to the science wing being in a different building than other subjects, she feels a bit more isolated from the other teachers, but the hangouts give her a way to spend time with other teachers.
“A lot of us went to that bowling event, and it was one of the few moments that I got to get to know some teachers outside of the work setting, not talking about students, not talking about the classes we teach, just kind of more personal,” Cayanan said.
Kawamoto also thinks that an individual’s personality plays into how they interact with other teachers. Inside the PE department, Kawamoto shared that they are all friendly with each other. They are a part of a department that is a bit more on the social side.
“We don’t necessarily keep to ourselves. We’re in a profession where we need to be loud and obnoxious sometimes and have fun. Not everyone gets that,” Kawamoto said.