School Spirit

Danette Goulet COSTA MESA -- After Estancia High School's football victory over rival Costa Mesa last Friday put them in possession of the coveted "bell," many thought school spirit could soar no higher. But Estancia fans plan to change that tonight with their first annual homecoming tailgate party at the Adams entrance of OCC. Cars will cover 300 square feet of the parking lot, leaving room for fans to cook, eat, cheer and watch the Eagle cheerleaders and band perform.

NEWPORT BEACH — Newport Harbor High School sophomores Lauren McGill and Lizzy Pratty were tired of going to school every day to see faded murals and a dirty campus, so on Saturday they, along with more than 80 of their peers and a group of hardworking dads, met at the high school to give it a fresh look. "Our school was in need of some rehab," Lizzy, 16, said as she painted gold-colored edging around the NH sign outside the gymnasium as Lauren, 15, repainted a sailor, the school's mascot, on the wall.

"Oh, great; another pep assembly. Well, at least we get out of class." Does this remark sound familiar? Has someone ever said something similar to you? Odds are that most high school students these days would honestly have to answer yes. In actuality, it turns out that this is an attitude that has become prevalent all throughout our community in recent years. It is a common fact now that the amount of school spirit in most kids is slowly declining. There is a myriad examples as to how our community appears to have lost its sense of school spirit.

Amy R. Spurgeon COSTA MESA--More than 1,300 students at Kaiser Elementary huffed and puffed their way around a makeshift course Friday in an annual jog-a-thon, all in the name of school spirit. They raised $22,000 from parents, relatives and neighbors, which will go toward enrichment programs at the school. The entire student body took part in the 3 1/2-hour event, including those enrolled in a program for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Participants ran in nine waves of 200 to 250 each and completed either 1- or 6-mile tracks, said event co-chairman Geoff Furman.

Corona del Mar High senior left-handed pitcher Matt Morris said he will sign a letter of intent today with Duke University’s baseball program. Morris, a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, next season will join a former teammate in Jake Lemmerman, a 2007 CdM graduate and Newport-Mesa Player of the Year. “I stayed with him during my visit,” said Morris of Lemmerman, who started at shortstop for the Blue Devils as a freshman last season. “I kind of had my mind set on Duke before talking to Jake.

When Evan Clark Dean set out to stir some school spirit and add some comfy new benches there, he knew he could count on some built-in inspiration from Corona del Mar High and Middle schools’ No. 1 fan. “Go get ’em kiddos,” Pat Smith would always say before an athletic contest at the school. So when it came time to put a name on his project, he didn’t have to think about it. Evan immortalized Pat’s rallying cry on a plaque when he broke ground on his Eagle Scout project at Corona del Mar High School on Friday.

Teenage years are difficult. But throughout their four years of high school, Newport Beach's top 32 seniors made it look as if it was easy to get a 1,400 on the SAT, play trumpet in the school band and score that winning touchdown. And as if they had any spare time between studies, sports and a social life, many of these ever-active teens also volunteer at local charities, helping underprivileged children with their homework and playing piano for senior citizens.

Christine Carrillo Referees blew their whistles Wednesday afternoon, kicking off the first day of the long-awaited Daily Pilot Cup competition. About 1,800 students throughout the Newport-Mesa area will head to the Costa Mesa Farm Complex this week to participate in the soccer tournament that began Wednesday and continues through Sunday, the longest the tournament has been held. "[Most] of the kids playing in this tournament play in other tournaments, however there are kids in this tournament that have never played soccer before," said Kirk McIntosh, the organizer of the event.

Richard Dunn The late 1960s and early '70s meant difficult times at Costa Mesa High, which went through four principals in five years and won about as many football games in that span. Not that football was nearly as important as some of the social chaos on campus, but going 1-17 in back-to-back autumns has a tendency to douse school spirit. But, in 1973, things started to change. Enter Costa Mesa Principal Bob Packer, whose unparalleled leadership created a positive dominoes affect as Costa Mesa climbed to not only respectability, but arguably the No. 1 high school in the Newport-Mesa School District.

On a normal opening night visit to the Orange County Performing Arts Center, one might notice a predominance of gray hair, and no hair, in the orchestra section. Tuesday, however, that demographic was drastically altered. In fact, you could estimate the average playgoer’s age at 10 and probably not be too far off. The reason, of course, was “High School Musical,” the Disney-produced musical comedy that’s both family friendly and a glittering treat for the older audiences.

The first good sign was the parking. There wasn't any. I pulled up to Avila's El Ranchito Mexican Restaurant in Costa Mesa on Nov. 17 and could barely get into the lot. So I parked a couple of blocks away. The minor inconvenience was a sign of a healthy crowd, I thought to myself, as I walked toward the Estancia High Football fundraiser sponsored by the Daily Pilot, Los Angeles Times and Estancia boosters. There were streamers, cheerleaders, banners and a crowd packed as tight as any huddle at the door, on the patio and in the foyer.

S he stands in the gym at Costa Mesa High School, wearing her new varsity letterman's jacket. It was a small award given to her for a monumental achievement: becoming the California State Cheer Coach of the Year. Of the some 1,200 high schools across the Golden State, Koreen Johnson took the honors over the weekend, earning the bigger award that goes with it: a free trip to Hawaii for two in February next year, where the Aloha Spirit Cheerleading Championship will take place.

Eastbluff Elementary School fifth-grader Jordan Hauser, 11, has run in the annual Spirit Run each year since he was in the first grade. “Everyone at school talks about it, and if it’s their first year, we tell them about how much fun it is,” Jordan said, who ran the 5K at last year’s run in 22 minutes and 50 seconds. “It’s a fun thing, not really an intense competition,” Jordan said. Children from across Newport Beach and Costa Mesa will put on their running shoes Sunday to raise money for Newport-Mesa schools at the 26th annual Sprit Run. This year’s run also will feature a one-mile walk for grandparents and a 15-kilometer event for adults, where participants will run both a 10K and a 5K race.

Corona del Mar High senior left-handed pitcher Matt Morris said he will sign a letter of intent today with Duke University’s baseball program. Morris, a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, next season will join a former teammate in Jake Lemmerman, a 2007 CdM graduate and Newport-Mesa Player of the Year. “I stayed with him during my visit,” said Morris of Lemmerman, who started at shortstop for the Blue Devils as a freshman last season. “I kind of had my mind set on Duke before talking to Jake.

On a normal opening night visit to the Orange County Performing Arts Center, one might notice a predominance of gray hair, and no hair, in the orchestra section. Tuesday, however, that demographic was drastically altered. In fact, you could estimate the average playgoer’s age at 10 and probably not be too far off. The reason, of course, was “High School Musical,” the Disney-produced musical comedy that’s both family friendly and a glittering treat for the older audiences.

Adults and children will be running around Fashion Island Sunday, and the reason doesn’t have anything to do with great bargains or retail sales. Celebrating 25 years of community involvement in health and fitness, Newport-Mesa’s five elementary schools will once again sponsor the Spirit Run, featuring an adult 5K and 10K, seven one-fourth- to 1-mile races for children, and new this year, a competitive Youth 5K for ages 14 and under. Andersen, Eastbluff, Harbor View, Lincoln and Newport Coast elementary schools have raised more than $1 million for educational programs in the Newport-Mesa area over the years.

When Evan Clark Dean set out to stir some school spirit and add some comfy new benches there, he knew he could count on some built-in inspiration from Corona del Mar High and Middle schools’ No. 1 fan. “Go get ’em kiddos,” Pat Smith would always say before an athletic contest at the school. So when it came time to put a name on his project, he didn’t have to think about it. Evan immortalized Pat’s rallying cry on a plaque when he broke ground on his Eagle Scout project at Corona del Mar High School on Friday.

COSTA MESA — When College Park Elementary School students return to class today, their campus will be a little more colorful — and it may get more so over the coming weeks. Parent Lori Robnett and teacher Allison Loftis started a push last week to beautify College Park, lugging brushes and paint cans to the central Costa Mesa campus. On Thursday, they neared completion of their first project: a mural of the American flag, painted in the spot where the school holds its morning flag deck assemblies.

NEWPORT BEACH — Newport Harbor High School sophomores Lauren McGill and Lizzy Pratty were tired of going to school every day to see faded murals and a dirty campus, so on Saturday they, along with more than 80 of their peers and a group of hardworking dads, met at the high school to give it a fresh look. "Our school was in need of some rehab," Lizzy, 16, said as she painted gold-colored edging around the NH sign outside the gymnasium as Lauren, 15, repainted a sailor, the school's mascot, on the wall.