“The week before, I always feel super excited, especially for Spirit Week,” sophomore Meron Belete said. Spring Sting has a clear impact on all the students in Hackley's community,and Sting serves as one of the only events where the whole school is together.
Spirit Week builds anticipation and brings the community together. Instead of the event sneaking up on everyone, it becomes an activity everyone looks forward to.
For Meron, the most meaningful part is supporting her friends. Watching people she knows makes even sports she doesn't know as well feel more engaging. She also emphasized the social aspect of it, spending time with friends throughout the day adds to the experience.
She points out that Spring Sting is one of the only times the whole school community gathers in one place.
“It builds a sense of community because it's not very often that we get grades K through 12 together all in one spot,” said Meron. While she believes that the event already builds a strong sense of community, Meron suggested that a halftime performance during later games might encourage people to stay later into the evening.
For eighth grader Kyla J, Spring Sting is especially meaningful because it gives her a glimpse of what life in high school would be like. She explained that one of her favorite parts of the day is watching the older students compete.
“It gives me an opportunity to see high school players,” Kyla said. Adding that it also helps her meet future classmates and get a sense of the community she will soon be a part of. Kyla also described Spring Sting as a way to see her current classmates in a new light, because she does not play a sport herself.
“Seeing my classmates play and scrimmage… seeing what they have to offer is really exciting,” Kyla said, noting that it was intriguing to watch her classmates in a different light. She also enjoys watching high school players compete, even just as a spectator.
Kyla included that even though in middle school she doesn't see specific school traditions often, she enjoys blackout games and school-wide gatherings. Overall, Kyla noted the Sting is very enjoyable, and there is not much she would change, except getting middle schoolers more involved in Spirit weeks. She also explains that the most impactful part of all Stings is the community that comes with them.
“It feels really inclusive,” said Kyla. It is rare to see students from multiple divisions in one place, and being able to watch older students and classmates come together makes the experience especially thrilling while looking ahead to high school.
For eighth grader Luisa D., Spring Sting is an important tradition and another chance to spend time with friends outside of school.
She explained that one of her favorite parts of Sting is being able to “hang out with my friends and walk around them.” Along with the social atmosphere, she also enjoys the fun treats and activities given throughout the day.
Luisa has attended many Spring Stings throughout the year; the event to her now feels like “a part of my life.” What makes it especially meaningful to her is the way it brings the entire school together.
Seeing students come together from every division in one place creates an entertaining atmosphere. Even though Luisa enjoys most aspects of the Sting, the one thing she would change is, “ I would get rid of the middle school scrimmages,” she said, explaining that they were never her favorite part of the day. She still emphasized that traditions like blackout make the Spring Sting super exciting.
“I really love having the entire community come out for this event,” she said. Emphasizing how united it makes the school feel.
Sophomore Nora Esposito, who played for the girls lacrosse team during the night game, said Spring Sting is one of the most exciting games of the year. She described it as something she really loves because of how exciting and high-energy it is, especially when the whole team gets involved.
“The whole team gets so into it, and they're just really excited,” Nora said. Highlighting how important the high energy is that builds up to these games. Along with the excitement, Nora also mentioned that the Spring Sting comes with some pressure; however, she sees it as positive.
“It’s a good type of pressure,” she explained, emphasizing that it helps players perform well, especially in front of friends, family, and classmates. She also noted that the pressure can feel different depending on the opponent they are playing; sometimes it is less intense playing a team perceived as weaker.
Before the game, Nora describes feeling nervous and quieter than usual, but that changes quickly as soon as the game starts.
“The team comes together to support each other,” she added. Explaining that also helps settle her nerves. After the first few goals are scored, the pressure starts to fade, and is able to simply enjoy the game.
One of her favorite memories from the Sting this year was during the fourth quarter when Nora was on the sidelines while Hackley was winning by a significant margin. She remembered cheering on the sidelines and doing the wave with her teammates. While celebrating her teammates Cora McMahon and Gracie Eleck’s goals, Nora noted that it is,
“So fun to be with your team and cheer others on.”
