Various student activities groups, like the Student Association (SA), help to maintain student spirit whether it be academically, musically or athletically. Teacher and SA advisor Meg Pierce has collaborated with the student association for the last three years to promote the student body and define what South pride should be for students.

“I think [school spirit is] having a sense of pride, a vision of what you want the school to look like for all grade levels from freshman all the way to senior, as a student-athlete, or as a musician having that pride within your school,” Pierce said. “I think that athletics are a massive part of school spirit and how our school shows up and recognizes different sports.”

A major source of spirit throughout the fall is varsity football games. They have the highest attendance of any sport year-round. Libby Willson ’28 said with three older brothers who played football, she has been attending football games for upwards of five years. She has seen a change in the enthusiasm of the students attending.

“The student section just doesn’t seem as hype as it was when [my oldest brother] was here,” Willson said. “It used to pack multiple sections of the stands, but now it barely even fills one.”

She doesn’t attribute the decrease in attendance to the leadership of Devils Den, but the decline in student enrollment and the worldwide pandemic that shut the world down in 2020.

“COVID really took a toll on all the social aspects of our everyday lives and I think it especially was hard for the athletes to lose that level of support,” Willson said. “[The student section is] definitely not as good as it was before, but we are definitely attempting to bounce back.”

On the other hand, some marginalized sports feel like they get drowned out in the shadows of football. Tennis player Ashton Zimmerman ’25 said that he believes that as much as football is important for school spirit, underrepresented sports should also be valued.

“Honestly it would be great if [underrepresented sports] got their big wins announced better and more,” Zimmerman said. “Like on the announcements, in those letters we get weekly and even on social media.”

Zimmerman believes that support is a must in Blue Devil sports culture and without support South athletics wouldn’t be the way it is today. He said that he would love to see an improvement in that support throughout all athletics, not just the popular ones.

“I think it would be really cool if teams went to other team’s events,” Zimmerman said. “Like if the whole tennis team went to a football game together. It would show one team’s support for another and I also think having that support could be really valuable to said team.”

Athletes feed off of the support given to them by their audience, at South, it’s been a big factor in motivating the players. Varsity football head coach Chad Hepner has seen how South’s audience impacts and motivates his players during games.

“I think the players feed off of the energy much more than I do, but you can tell that they feed off of the energy and that they’re always putting in their best effort,” Hepner said. “But when they can do it in front of their classmates and their teachers, I think it adds a little bit to the excitement when things go well in the game.”

The student cheer section at all athletic games is operated by the Devil’s Den at South. They involve the crowd by playing music and getting them hyped up throughout the game. Pierce has helped the group develop a plan to attend more marginalized sports.

“It’s evolving and taking shape, you see them at football games obviously and they seem to be more popular among the student body, at basketball and at unified games,” Pierce said. “It can be very hard because there are so many teams and so many sports. We have more teams in sports than some colleges like University of Michigan. It’s hard to get the four[officers] to commit to everything.”

One of the biggest things South has done to improve the recognition of sports is the annual homecoming pep assembly. Student Association collaborates with many organizations to recognize those in athletics, student government groups and other faculty members that aren’t represented much at South. Class of 2025 Vice President, Brigid Williams ’25, and believes the pep assembly unites the school together.

“The homecoming assembly is the most school spirited event that we do, getting everyone here together to cheer on our school is a way for everyone to participate,” Williams said. “It’s important to bring people together for South and to unite the school in a way that we don’t get to very often.”

Those who play sports during the winter or spring time are not represented at the homecoming pep assembly. Starting last year, student association ran the first spring pep assembly to give recognition to all areas of South athletics.

“We’re very proud of how the spring pep assembly went last year, and as a group we felt it was very important to recognize those who were marginalized,” Pierce said. “We loved the participation and excitement we saw last year and we hope to re-run the event this year with student association.”

Student government at South also supports the pep assembly and homecoming. They construct spirit packs for students and build floats to go with the parade to support student pride. Student councils start working on homecoming as early as May after elections occur to decide the theme. Later in August, production of floats, posters and spirit-packs began. Then, classes display their posters, banners and show off their own spirit packs.

“We organize spirit week in terms of what we wear and what goes into the spirit packs. We consider what are the best options for those to show school spirit and to be shown as much as possible,” Williams said. “We always included T-Shirts that have South and our class on it, and this year we included bandanas and cowbells for Saddle-Up Seniors.”

The goal is to create an environment where not only students can thrive, but feel welcomed and seen. An environment within and outside of the classroom, rooted in South’s culture, making an attempt to bring the entire student body together, no matter their involvement.

“We do unity day, we do the pep assembly, we do the parade, and we do the dance, and all of those things are meant to remind us of Grosse Pointe South traditions, that we all have a place here,” Pierce said.