Glen Ridge High School has long faced a problem running deeper than any of the other issues plaguing our town. No tissue shortage or lack of adequate water fountains has ever been able to prove as unfortunate as our town’s tragic deficit of school spirit. In years past, students would rarely sport jerseys or other Glen Ridge merchandise and would seldom show up to games. During said past years, the only people who would show school spirit were teachers and athletes. Recently, however, a new initiative has been put in place to rectify this problem.
First thought up by Cali Sweet, a senior and officer in the student council, the initiative of Ridger Points seeks to instill some much-lacking Ridger pride into the populous of GRHS.
The idea is simple: students can earn Ridger Points by attending various Glen Ridge events, culminating in a dance that anyone who attains at least ten points can attend. To get the points, students must prove that they actually attended the event by taking a picture and getting it to Cali through Instagram. The points also come with the stipulation that a student cannot earn any by going to an event that they are already participating in, so a football player can’t get any Ridger Points for attending any football games.
The response to the idea of Ridger Points has been largely mixed. Some students, like myself, believe it to be a great idea for increasing school spirit, and some dislike it, pointing out flaws in the reward system. Others, however, take a stance of apathy, not caring about the potential dance or school spirit. However, I wholeheartedly believe that Ridger Points are a fantastic new idea, and that with time, the rest of the student body will come to the same conclusion.
The first issue with the Ridger Point system that so many are so quick to point out is that a dance is not the best reward for their collection. While I will concede that school dances are not typically that fun or well-received, that is not inherently the case, and it is likely that if the proper care and planning are put in, the Ridger Point dance will be worthwhile and enjoyable.
The reward, though, isn’t the ultimate point of the Ridger Point initiative. Rather, its point is to get students excited about various school events, whether it be sports games, concerts, induction ceremonies, or anything else, and at this, I know it will succeed. Already, I’ve seen many more people showing up to football games than last year, and I’ve heard many others talking about soccer games. By giving students a carrot-on-a-stick-esque incentive to come to events, the Ridge Point initiative is actually allowing them to have a good time at said events and begin to actually feel the school spirit that we have been lacking for so long.
Ultimately, though, the question does present itself: why support such a controversial initiative? The answer is simple: Cali and her new idea are trying. They are trying to get students invested in their local programs, and after many near-spiritless years, our school needs people who are willing to try. In the end, I believe that the Ridger Point initiative could use some fine-tuning, but it is a brilliant idea that makes an attempt at doing things in a school where very few are courageous enough to do so.
