Singing With School Spirit

True wasn’t the only person to adapt what is now commonly known as “The Alma Mater.” Over 127 schools world-wide—from Vanderbilt University to Swarthmore College to The American University in Beirut—have adapted the song over the years, often with lyrics similar to the original. “I still have to consciously stop myself from singing the Syracuse lyrics when we sing in assembly,” Norwood joked, referring to her own alma mater.
 

The melody itself is surprisingly ubiquitous, appearing in everything from films like 1953’s Titanic and 1987’s Dirty Dancing to television shows like Marvel’s Agent Carter and the American version of The Office.

So how did LI’s version come to be resurrected?

“Back in 2014, Select Chorus was asked to sing for a formal occasion at the opening of the school year,” Norwood said. “I was going through the music filing cabinet looking for something new for us to try when I came across it. No one seemed to know anything about it, so I thought it would be fun to bring it out for the occasion.”

It ended up being a hit with adults and students alike. “The Board was taken with it, and the Student Council said they wanted to start singing it in assembly.”

In fact, the Student Council not only wanted to sing it in assembly, they decided it would be a fun addition to the “Clash of the Classes,” a competition between the grades that plays out during Spirit Week and Winter Carnival. 

Student Council advisor and social studies teacher Kathy Smith was all for it. “The song conveniently has four verses and a chorus, which made it perfect for a song contest.”

Each class received a verse which they were responsible for performing at the final Pep Assembly on the Friday before the “Big Game” with St. Johnsbury Academy, with the chorus being sung at the end by the whole school.

“There were three rules,” Smith said. “Each class had to stand while singing their verse, it had to be memorized—no cheat sheets—and they had to actually sing it well.” She laughed. “Or at least try singing it well—no shouting it out just to be loud.”

Faculty judges would listen to see which class showed the greatest “spirit” in singing their verse. Points for first, second, third, and fourth were awarded toward each class’s Spirit Week total, with the class with the most overall points for the week winning the vaunted Spirit Stick.

No one was really sure what to expect that first year; singing in front of peers—particularly a song reminiscent of a church hymn—puts most teens far out of their comfort zone. But to everyone’s surprise the student body embraced the challenge. Even more surprising—the song stuck and began to take on a life of its own, not only becoming a regular part of Spirit Week competitions but at other school events.

“A senior came to me in 2018 and asked if they could sing the Alma Mater at graduation,” Norwood recalls. “I realized they were the first class to have sung all four verses during their four years at LI. Then another student told me that she and her teammates were regularly singing it at the end of their basketball games. It had become a part of their school life.”

To this day, the last verse and chorus are sung at the end of home football games and even down the road in St. Johnsbury on years the Big Game is away.

“I feel a real sense of pride when I hear our kids singing the school song,” Smith said. “The thing that always impresses me is how the kids respond. You look out and see 99% of the student body standing and at least trying to sing.”

Smith appreciates the way Norwood teaches the song and its history and how it gives students  a chance to see how traditions can be revived and take on new life, especially by making it an integral part of Spirit Week. “It gives them a chance to belong to a community bigger than themselves, which is a powerful thing.

“Going into Spirit Week, I tell the Student Council officers—you are people who are giving a gift to your classmates. You’re passing on a legacy. And the song is a part of that.”

Students practice the Alma Mater several times during the first quarter leading up to Spirit Week, but nothing compares to how it sounds during the Pep Assembly. Classes singing the verses are motivated in part by the desire for points, but the chorus—when all the classes rise together to share in the song—has become one of my favorite moments of the school year, second only to graduation when the assembled crowd—graduating seniors, faculty, family, and friends—comes together to sing it under the tent, a song that celebrates both the beauty of LI’s campus and the spirit of its community.

Chorus: