With cardinal blood and gold sweat, grizzlies have rushed back into the new school year, ready and prepared to tackle new challenges with bared fangs. School spirit is roaring and events are everywhere, and the start to the 2024-2025 school year might be one of the strongest ones yet.
“The first week of school went amazing, I made a bunch of new friends and ended up with really nice teachers. Also, events like senior sunrise and club rush have stood out and been super fun,” senior Harlan Moran said.
The start of the school year comes with a rushing wave of activities and events to participate in and get settled into, as well as new opportunities and relationships to be made. A notable event to have taken place during the first month of school is club rush, where student-run clubs lined the walkways of the school during lunch and students got a chance to sign up for them and launch themselves into fun and interesting extracurriculars with fellow classmates. Moran and many other students feel similarly, believing that club rush is a key gateway into socializing and an easy way to meet new people and become more involved.
There is also the beginning of special events for the new class of seniors, providing them a unique and fun experience for their final year in MHHS, a prime example being senior sunrise. An overwhelming number of seniors came together for the sunrise on the second week of school, indulging in coffee, Chick-Fil-A, and a calm morning. With many more sunrises, sunsets, and other events planned, seniors can definitely expect to have a packed year and an awesome experience.
“I love all of our events that Grizzlies were coordinating, like Link Crew, the pep rallies, and our football games…the school spirit has motivated me through the help of ASB and our amazing staff encouraging us to participate, because it makes you feel valued. It makes you feel good,” junior Savannah Stephens said.
ASB and school staff deserve their acknowledgments for helping create and maintain school spirit and culture, as they’re some of the main players in it. Even with full hands, the ASB team constantly works hard to coordinate strong and enjoyable activities for students and can always be seen going above and beyond to keep the energy up and push students to join the fun as well. Similarly with school staff, despite their strenuous and busy jobs, they always show up for important events and spread the word to encourage people to attend and have fun, and Mission Hills culture wouldn’t be anywhere near where it is now if it wasn’t for the two wonderful teams.
“I think the football games create a sense of unity within the students, with us versus the opposing team. While we all come from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and other groups, the student body comes together to support one cause,” senior Eva Russell said.
Undeniably, Mission Hills’ football games are a key factor of the school’s culture and are one of the most influential events to take place, not only for the sports world, but for the social world too. Mission Hills has made a name for itself through its spectacular home games–from loud and relevant music, to magnificent performances from cheer, dance, band, and color guard, and all the way to the food trucks and news outlets that arrive and participate with the event and its publicity. Just as Russell said, the games bring everyone together, in such a way that all the students should raise their heads with pride. Despite their tough game against Granite Hills, the football team is set for a good season, and the first home game has solidified the tone for the rest.
Mission Hills still has a long way to go with many events lined up, but the strong start and energetic calendar it has laid out already has clearly defined what’s to be expected, and it’s definitely something to look forward to.
“I really can’t wait to see what else is coming and how the rest of the year goes. It’s so great already, I have high expectations for the rest,” Russell said.
