Spirit days are, in essence, an outlet for students and teachers who face stresses and complications in other parts of their life. They are meant to stir pride in one’s school and oneself by uniting the student body by showing them one common goal. Pride can create a sense of belonging in those who are dearly in need of it, but when the pride that is generated is negative, it can also stir detrimental feelings in the same people.

Pandy’s Funeral and Santa Rosa Nerd Day are two spirit days at Montgomery High School that have been hailed by the school population since the beginning of the school’s rivalry with Santa Rosa High. While a healthy rivalry with another school is amusing and part of the traditional school experience, these spirit days are not.

Nerd Day is a time when the student body and teachers dress as stereotypical nerds in the school colors of the rival. This is wrong for many reasons, one being the negative connotation that comes with the word “nerd”. Originally, those who were considered nerds were bullied for their intelligence and appearance. By dressing as ‘Santa Rosa Nerds’ the school insinuates that those who attend the rival high school should be subject to bullying. It also implies that people in general should be bullied for being knowledgeable, or for sporting a specific appearance.

Pandy’s Funeral follows the example of Nerd Day by poking fun at the students of Santa Rosa High, but this spirit day takes it to a larger, and more physical extent. In this spirit day, the students of Montgomery High hold a mock funeral for the mascot of Santa Rosa High. In this funeral, the mascot is humiliated in order to show the Montgomery students in a better light. As a mascot is the representation of its student body, Montgomery High School essentially dehumanizes the students of Santa Rosa High when the students hold this funeral. Especially when equality is, and has always been, a problem in this world, Pandy’s Funeral does not help to stir pride in the student body. Instead, it stirs the mentality that they are better than someone else.

One may argue that these spirit days never result in violence, and so they are essentially harmless. What these people do not see is that even if there is no physical damage, those who participate in these spirit days leave with the mentality of superiority makes them extremely dangerous. Others insist that, since these spirit days are tradition, they cannot possibly be banned. However, in all cultures there have been traditions that are considered to be dangerous in the modern world, even if they were innocent when created. Finally, there are those who argue that, since Santa Rosa holds the same spirit days, it is fine to do the same to them. This idea brings up the concept of revenge and retribution. If one school does something to another, do they have the right to fight back? While answering yes brings satisfaction, it is important to remember that revenge is a double-edged sword. If one person gets hurt, the other is bound to as well.