Benny Pierce Football Field sees a lot of activity: various sports practices, marching band rehearsals and miscellaneous recreation. However, until recently, the entrance to the area was substandard, plagued with various health and safety issues, not least of which was the grossly unsanitary bathrooms.

In order to improve the situation, the school launched the “Red Pride” campaign, which was funded by the SHS Foundation as well as private donors. The project involved the construction of the new Sports Plaza, which includes new restrooms, a more glamorous entrance to the field and other additions.

That goal has definitely been achieved — any Saratogan driving by can look at the beautiful “Home of the Falcons” sign and think with renewed pride, “It’s great to be a Falcon!”

The new Sports Plaza is definitely popular. During the first two football games of the year, the snack bar has sold more food than ever, sometimes even running out of popular items.

But it’s still early in the year, too early to tell for sure: Will the new Sports Plaza help boost overall school spirit?

School spirit and student participation have been ongoing issues for years at Saratoga High.

Last year, the spirit commission tried to increase interest in rallies by reducing the quantity and increasing the quality of rallies. Their success was limited. Many students still preferred to spend tutorials working on homework in classrooms, or even just socializing instead of attending rallies. In other words, they weren’t willing to sacrifice what is essentially a free period for an activity intended to foster school spirit.

Similarly, many students prefer not to come to football games. It’s not that everyone has pressing matters to attend to on a Friday night — rather, they don’t see supporting the home team as a worthwhile way to spend their time. It has little or nothing to do with how good or bad the facilities are.

If this is the case, then adding a snack bar and better bathrooms may not be the answer. These additions do improve the experience of those who already do attend football games — however, the real issue here is the ones who don’t.

We should work on getting students to acknowledge that, while academics are important, there are other things equally deserving of our attention and time — and supporting our classmates and our school is one of them.

So go to a football game and support our home team. Cheer on your class at a rally. We are all SHS students, and our campus teems with diverse extracurricular interest and talent.

Surely you, as a member of the Saratoga community, can spare a few hours per month to cheer on your classmates as they represent the school in the activities that they love to do.