Gallery • 5 Photos

Mrs. St Amant

Mrs. St Amant (Staff) and her family snap a quick selfie as they wait patiently in the audience for the school production to begin.

Since Yorba Linda High School opened ten years ago, school spirit has been one of the highlights of the Mustang experience. Students demonstrate their commitment to YL by participating in dress up days and attending school events. While everyone celebrates and acknowledges the amount of spirit that exists amongst the student body, the staff’s participation and support has been often overlooked. In order to encourage and reward the staff’s ongoing dedication to YLHS, the school has come out with MUStang Spirit Teams. 

The MUStang Spirit Teams are a new addition to YLHS this year. This idea was implemented as a fun way of encouraging staff to really show off their school spirit. Dr. Dinh (Staff), a key contributor to the start of these spirit teams, explained the reasoning behind the emergence of this new activity. He emphasized one of Yorba Linda High School’s original core values; “Get Connected.” Thus, MUStang Spirit Teams were “a creative way to preserve and highlight this core value and have fun.” 

Staff members were divided into different groups, with one staff member leading each team. The teams are awarded points for getting more involved in student activities and finding ways to show their support for the school. Participating in different events earns varying amounts of points for one’s team. For example, becoming an adviser for a school club earns 20 points for a team. Dressing up for a dress up day will earn an additional five points.

In order to calculate these points and determine which team will reign victorious for the week, Mr. Lejano and ASB have teamed up to keep a careful eye on who should win. To help ensure points are correctly awarded, the staff has been asked to take photos of themselves when they attend an event, complete an activity, or get involved in any other form. This has resulted in a slew of selfies from teachers and faculty at sports games, dressed up in crazy outfits, and more. 

Dr. Dinh elaborated more on his group, The Gold Standard, describing his team as “self-motivated” and explained that they “strive for excellence.” As the captain of the gold team, he firmly believes that “other teams are looking up to the bar we set.” 

Overall, the teams have been successful in increasing participation and increasing spirit amongst the staff. With the healthy competition that it has created and the excitement that getting involved entails, MUStang Spirit Teams have been an incredible way of kicking off the school year.