It seems as though as the years progressed with homecoming dances and other school events, the carefree enthusiasm that students would show waned. Somewhere along the line, caring about school events became “cringe,” and acting detached became the safer, cooler option. But in trying so hard not to look lame, we’ve built a culture where genuine excitement feels wrong, and where students who do want to participate end up feeling isolated or judged. The result is a school that’s full of people, but missing a sense of community.
Every school year, Hinsdale Central hosts many school events, but lately the one that sticks out has been homecoming.
Homecoming has always been the high school party that is supposed to be one of the highlights of high school or at least something to look forward to.
Some students recall the shift in the homecoming dance from an actual dance to something forgotten.
“I feel like people try to appear cool rather than actually enjoy themselves by going with what everyone else is doing,” said Justin Bilyar, senior. “I remember sophomore year homecoming when there was actually a lot of dancing. I still saw people trying to go to an after party, but just because others were doing so.”
Others compare homecoming to other events the school does and the difference in the levels of school spirit.
“I feel like it depends,” said Alex Odishoo, senior. “At games, like football or basketball, I feel like students follow the spirit wear. But with homecoming, people get dressed up, but don’t go to the dance. I think it’s just become the norm at our school to not go to the dance, which is kind of sad since it’s been such a big tradition.”
The lack of school spirit is not just concerning for the fact that some feel they may miss out on their “high school experience” such as homecoming, but can actually create a sense that there is not real community within the school and lead to negative effects on the students themselves. A 2019 study by the University of Ohio, found that engaging in an active community can provide many benefits for students including, better grades, better brain development, improved psychological well-being, improved their leadership skills and enhanced their multicultural awareness.
“There has been a fall in school spirit due to the lack of enthusiasm regarding school events such as school events or homecoming,” said Charlie Tomforde, sophomore. “There seems to be a stigma that paints these school events as ‘not fun’ or ‘worth anyone’s time’ which further leads to the lack of community that stems from an uprising of students not willing to tolerate and support one another.”
Others said they think that it ruins the school’s sense of not just community but also inclusivity.
“I think Hinsdale Central struggles a lot with coming together and being inclusive,” said Mia Gottfried, senior. “This makes it really hard for kids to feel like they can come to school in spirit because they don’t want to be the odd one out or get judged.”
A 2025 study from Springer Nature Link, found that when students perceive a negative or unsupportive school climate such as a lack of shared spirit or community, they’re more likely to have negative emotions.
This means that if there is a continued downward trend in school spirit, students are more likely to suffer emotionally and mentally.
This isn’t just about the school and promoting school events, it requires a mindset shift from the students themselves.
According to the Bay Area Cognitive Behavior Therapy Center, social media has only made the impact of cringe worse where public shaming is common due to the fear of embarrassment.
Social media is a big part of Gen Z’s life and is changing the scene for “cringe culture.”
“I think that social media definitely plays a role in the lack of school spirit,” said Cici Stanek, senior. “Students see others online who have school spirit and think it’s cringe and they couldn’t be caught being part of that.”
Although cringe culture and how it affects our school spirit will be hard to change, we, as students, need to stop judging others for what they want to do. We have to live our high school lives to the fullest possible and not judge others for how they want to do so.
