With the large attendances at last week’s Friday Flyover, and the football games this season, it is clear that school spirit around Metea has grown significantly throughout the school’s history.

BG Stampede and Pep Crew have worked hard to create spirit and identity for a school that is only six years old. They have started traditions including student-run pep assemblies, the class spirit stick award, and post-tailgate stadium “run-ins” with the BG Stampede at football games.

BG Stampede and Pep Crew sponsor, Meredith Jordan, credits the class of 2015 for stepping up as leaders and being one of the first classes to create true, fun school spirit. “Upperclassmen are important to creating school spirit and upholding tradition, this year’s seniors (2015) have done a great job leading the school,” Jordan said.

Upperclassmen leadership is necessary in order to create a fun, spirited environment throughout the school. Class of 2014 senior emcee Tracey McCoy believes seniors set the tone for the rest of the school, and lead the underclassmen to have spirit. “Underclassmen truly do look up to seniors for guidance, if they see them having fun cheering at athletic events they will want to join in too. Personally speaking, my class lacked in spirit and it dampened the school year,” McCoy said.

Senior emcee Noah Turner is proud of the impact his class has already made on Metea. “We are taking a positive attitude toward the school that last year’s seniors never had. We are happy to go to Metea, and proud of how far we have brought school spirit and hope we leave that legacy for future years to come,” Turner said.

When Metea first opened, Jordan remembers the lack of school spirit within the sophomore class, that had first attended Waubonsie during it’s freshman year, and had accustomed themselves to the traditions Waubonsie upheld. “Spirit was nonexistent, it has grown drastically with the addition of BG Stampede,” Jordan said.

With a new school, it is difficult to establish tradition and school pride. McCoy recalls the difficulty to create spirit within the school when it first opened. “The first two years there was a lot of pressure to set traditions, but each year the school grows closer and everyone is more willing to participate,” McCoy said.

Jenny Horne, class of 2013 senior emcee feels pride in the traditions her class and BG Stampede created during her time at Metea. “I am proud of how we built BG Stampede from scratch, and how largely I can see it has grown since I was a student. I created the class theme competition for pep assemblies, and I hope that is a tradition Metea upholds,” Horne said.