As much as I can say that I’ve always enjoyed my school experiences — whether it was middle school, high school, or college — I can’t claim that I was ever much for school spirit. At least not in the conventional sense.

in the conventional sense. You wouldn’t often see me in school t-shirts or scrambling to elect the next student government official. Or even know the name of the current official, for that matter.

I found that pride in my school was something that built slowly over time and didn’t really begin to rear its head until my last year of high school, and even then it was mostly out of the melancholy realization that I was leaving a rather monumental chunk of my life behind in favor for the rest of it. I didn’t frequent games. I went to one or two in my entire school experience, and that was mostly for the company rather than the sport.

I believe my pride was mostly spent on my personal performance and my work in the school’s chamber choir, the latter of which I was quite fond of. I’d heard how well we were doing in sports or orchestra or matheletes, and while it was nice to know, I never went out of my way to follow our progress.

It’s not that I didn’t care about my school or its exploits, but rather that I cared about and enjoyed my school experience in different ways. My appreciation of my school has always been much quieter, nothing I can really wear or excessively boast. This is something that’s become more obvious as I’ve examined my relationship with my college.

Admittedly, my freshman year was when I mostly attended the “party” sort of events on campus such as the Halloween party that comes around even year.

My fondest memory is of the singing comedian event during one of the first weeks. I met one of my closest friends there. Beyond that, I met even more of my social group through the Involvement Fair hosted that semester. I can appreciate the existence of those sort of events despite my infrequency in attending them. They allowed me to meet my friends, people who have enriched my school experience.

The people I’ve met and interacted with at this school have been some of the most intelligent and kind people I have ever encountered. In the same vein, I also appreciate the professors I’ve learned from over the years. They have been understanding and passionate teachers, as well as unique people in general.

My enjoyment of my college experience has also come largely from the school’s natural environment. I enjoy walks in the late evening when I can see the sky darken through the overhang of the tree branches. I like to sit and watch the fountain when the field in front of Founder’s Hall is particularly empty. I find boundless humor in being scared out of my wits when a scraggly cat leaps from the trash can I pass by on my night walk. And there’s certainly a mystic allure to seeing exactly three deer roaming the campus several nights in a row.

All colleges have sports, all colleges have choirs and dance teams and the like. My college is small, practically in the middle of the woods and shared with numerous animals. And I love that.

So, I won’t be found cheering on the Patriots at a sports event. I won’t be dancing at Homecoming. I own a single shirt with our university’s name on it that I hardly wear. But it surely isn’t because I’m devoid of school spirit. I love my school.