As JJ Taylor, ASB Spirit commissioner, looked for his outfit on Western Wednesday he thought to himself that he needed to be the best dressed that whole week. He asked a couple of friends to get some inspiration, he decided that the straw hat and red handkerchief would capture the essence of a cowboy on that day’s spirit theme.

Taylor and ASB students like to empower San Leandro High students throughout the school year. Spirit week is meant for students to be involved in the school community. Taylor explains it’s his job to get people motivated and bring positive energy around campus through Spirit Week.

“As a spirit coordinator, my job is to get people to participate in Spirit Week, you know, dress up for the football themes and really just rep our school,” Taylor said. “It makes people feel more welcome and more involved, you know, good vibes.”

Taylor explained that he and the ASB team pull inspiration from Pinterest and everyday student life to come up with fun and relatable themes for Spirit Week.

 “Took about a week [to plan last Spirit Week],” Taylor said. “We got ideas from Pinterest and just funny things we tend to do outside of school.”

With themes like Western Wednesday and Throwback Thursday, San Leandro High students have the chance to express themselves and take a break from their usual school routines. It also inspires students to stay engaged throughout the year, said Taylor.

“Gives an incorporated mindset throughout the school year to just get people to be more involved to not really stress out,” said Taylor.

Even though Taylor goes all out for Spirit Week, he understands that not everyone participates and that’s okay. People should feel comfortable in what they wear, said Taylor.

“I feel like a lot of people just have their reasons,” Taylor said. “Some people just don’t feel like showing school spirit and some people just like wearing what they like to wear.”

Creating a positive atmosphere where San Leandro High students feel comfortable being themselves and learning about themselves is what he said he and ASB are trying to achieve. 

“Be more focused on really just [having] a fun time when they’re at school — not only learning about education, but also learning about who they are and what they like to do,” said Taylor.