A tingling sensation ran down my spine as my pulse matched the beat of the drum.  I glanced down at my hands only to find them clapping in unison with those around me. A smile spread across my face as I felt a burning sense of pride.

And then it was gone. It was a fleeting moment, with emotions unfamiliar to me, but for the first time in my high school experience I felt something I had only heard about, but never witnessed: pep.

The first pep rally of the year took place Friday morning and with it came a spirited air the school has been lacking. While the cause of this change is hard to place, the result was aware to all.

Yet as I looked around the stands, plenty of people were still sitting. Some were on their phones instead of engaging in the pep rally. And worse yet, my Twitter feed contained some tweets like “pep rallies are lame,” and “Sleeping in > pep rally.” With the first football game of the year kicking off Friday at 7:30 p.m., these dissenting students need to quit fighting the wave of spirit flooding campus this year and join in the fun.

It’s no longer “cool” to be apathetic about campus events. My personal opinion is that it never was, but for a while, the majority of students found solace in dispassion rather than enthusiasm. Take the pep rally for example. The band sounded wonderful and played loud, the Majestics were excellent as usual, the football players looked spiffy in the black polos and khaki pants we’ve all come to know and respect, and even the cheerleaders had some news cheers designed to evoke some more crowd interaction. The tennis team mentioned their undefeated record and received some crazy cheers and each grade level participated in a tug-of-war game that left this year’s sophomores reigning champs of the spirit stick they claimed at last year’s pep rally as freshmen. The pep rally ran smoothly and there was almost no down time between events. All the organizations seem to have gotten together and agreed that this is the year to make a difference in the attitude of the student body. And it’s working.

Even the student section has been moved for football games, along with the band and Majestics, all for a central purpose: to create a more spirited environment. As students, we all want something to be proud of, and the leaders and organizations on campus are giving us the perfect chance: to be proud of our fellow classmates, and ultimately our school. It’s crazy to me that some students can still be fighting to tear that down.

While school spirit is not for everyone, anti-school spirit shouldn’t be for anyone. It’s okay not to be the loudest screamer at the pep rallies, to have the biggest sign at the volleyball games, or to have the craziest face paint under those Friday night lights. But it’s not okay to discourage the people who are doing those things. And it’s especially not okay to undermine the organizations such as student council who work hard to put these events together, or the sports teams training intensely with your school’s name on the jersey. So watch what you tweet, because it matters, and the people involved in these things will see it. The last thing we want is a potential Twitter fight to separate a school that is finally coming together so strong.

For the first time in a long time spirit is starting to sweep the school, and this time, I think it’s here to stay.

So let it. Or even better, join it.

You’d be surprised at how great red and black feel.