Assemblies have become synonymous with dances. If there’s an assembly, there’s a dance. Students at Dimond seem to now believe that there cannot be an assembly without a dance. I propose to change that. An assembly is an opportune way to promote school spirit and pride. It brings together all four classes and provides a community atmosphere. “Before we’re freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors,” Lem Wheeles, Student Government sponsor, says, “we are Dimond Lynx.” If we could provide a reason to foster school spirit more than class spirit, then the entire student body might feel more connected. Wheeles’ favorite memory of an assembly from his years at Dimond is one held for the Dimond football team. The team, which was not expected to win the semi-finals, made it to the championship game. Wheeles says the school held an impromptu assembly for the team to boost their confidence and once again spread school spirit. It was a short assembly, but the spontaneity of it and the fact that it hit at the perfect time when everyone was psyched for the football team made it one of the best. Susan Derrera, English teacher, thinks that we should showcase more music or different dances. Derrera believes that if there were more talent show type pieces, then there might be a bit more excitement regarding assemblies. Kristin Melican, also a Dimond English teacher, agrees. She feels that the assemblies should also focus on activities at Dimond that aren’t necessarily connected with athletics, such as Dimond Night Live or other plays. “There are so many talented kids at Dimond,” English teacher Anne Morris says. If there were more assemblies, then these kids could have their chance to shine. Right now, the current feeling toward assemblies is that they are not creative enough; students see the same things over and over again. There are only so many performances from the same group students can watch before they begin to get bored. If there were more diverse activities to support, it would add some uniqueness to assemblies. Athletics is a major aspect to assemblies, which it should remain to be, but other activities, clubs, or organizations should also have their chance in the limelight. Students watching assemblies seem to become more interested when watching things like the cheerleaders versus the hockey players, or the teachers versus the volleyball players. If there were more creative things such as that for each sport, it could add a bit more enthusiasm to assemblies. It is not fair to only focus on the major sports and leave out the others. Sports such as tennis and swimming have often been left out of assemblies, and there are certainly ways to creatively showcase both sports so as to not simply call down the Varsity players, give a small speech that most likely no one will listen to and send them back. “I think we should have an assembly once a month,” Xiunell Gomez, a senior, states. One assembly a month would give current athletics and activities a chance to display their skills or interests. Two assembly memories that cropped up were of the Taiko Drummers and the DNL skits that have been shown in the past. These are assembly moments people remember because they were different. If each assembly could have its own, different theme to it, then the assemblies would be more enjoyable for students. If there were an assembly once a month, then it could create a feeling of enthusiasm and school spirit that would hopefully continue to the next month. Assemblies are also a wonderful way to disseminate information. The only problem with having an assembly once a month is that then they remain synonymous with dances. If there were just a couple of impromptu or spontaneous assemblies to attend regarding the current biggest topic at Dimond, then they might also generate a bit more excitement. Sam Rice and Lauren Suiter, seniors, along with Erik Wilcox, a sophomore, all agree that assemblies should be more entertaining. They do not see the point in attending more assemblies if they are just going to see the same thing over and over again. Once again, if they were more creative and imaginative, then they might garner more supporters. Melican also feels that it would be advantageous if more students became involved in addition to Student Government members. This could also help to attract more of the student body if they know that they can participate as well, and that assemblies are not going to showcase strictly those involved in Student Government. Another issue Melican, Derrera and Morris brought up in reference to assemblies was the sound system. There have actually been quite a few complaints about the sound system in the gym. If we had a better sound system, they feel that students and teachers would be better able to understand what is going on, allowing the students to engage more with the assembly. In conclusion, students, along with teachers, feel that if the assemblies were more creative with something different each time, then there should definitely be more assemblies. If they are simply the same ole thing every time, then there should not be any more than we already have. There are teachers at Dimond who do not feel that added assemblies would be detrimental to class time. They enjoy assemblies and say that it is only a few minutes from class that are really missing. The benefits another assembly could potentially bring would outweigh the costs of a couple of minutes of class time. Assemblies are a great way to bring students together and foster a feeling of school community and spirit. They also provide a wonderful chance for activities and athletics to get their chance to shine in front of the school. If we were to have more assemblies, we could garner more school spirit, and allow those amazing aspects to Dimond a chance to get their name out and show Dimond what they can do.