After having been a part of the Brahma family for four years, I can, without a doubt, say that this has been the most spirited year of my life. Walking around Diamond Bar High School’s campus, I can’t help but sigh proudly at the lack of participation that I see every day.

It’s a common stereotype that we Brahmas don’t care about anything but school, but I don’t see how anyone could find that true—it’s through our complete lack of participation that we truly show our school pride!

The basis for school spirit, according to every movie, is the school’s outstanding athletics department. Go to any DBHS football game in the fall, and one might be a tad confused at the absolute emptiness in the stands, but it’s just our special way of showing support. I mean, we wouldn’t want to all show up and overwhelm the opposing side or anything. Obviously we all care about the performance of our athletes, and the athletes know that, even if we don’t actually show up to cheer them on.

Of course, another large part of encouraging school spirit is USB: they are, after all, the leaders of our school. It’s always heartwarming to see the efforts of USB go to waste—though they work hard and plan at least a dozen dress-up days for the student body every year, we just continue to wear whatever we want, demonstrating the true fighting spirit of the Brahmas. Such spirit is only further encouraged by the USB representatives’ response of just automatically marking classes as having had 100% participation.

The lack of participation is truly an example for all other schools to follow. We Brahmas are just asserting our independence by refusing to conform to any set standard of spirited outfits.

Everyone looks forward to rallies because it means shorter classes and a whole 40 minutes of doing nothing, but attendance, or lack of, is truly how we show our gratitude. By not coming to the rallies to see the performances that the various groups have worked so hard on, we’re making better use of the time allotted to us by instead going to other classrooms to sleep or do homework.

The students’ spirit even extends into national pride: every week during the Pledge of Allegiance, I can hear the resounding pride that my peers inject into their words. Don’t be fooled by their flat affects, barely-there volume, or refusal to stand up and face the flag, for when we speak together, our voices really ring as “one nation, indivisible.”

After I graduate, I really will miss the unique way Brahmas have shown their pride—at college, I’ll be forced to actually wear school sweatshirts and cheer along at every football game, and who wants that?