If you’re a student here at West Morris Central, you may remember feeling bombarded with messages and posts urging you to vote for WMC for a spirit award. But what did that all mean?

NJ.com states that the first annual School Spirit Award is intended to “celebrate school pride, community involvement, and student leadership.” It recognizes three schools from North, Central, and South regions of New Jersey that embody what it means to be a beacon of school spirit. These schools foster a positive, inclusive culture, and strive for excellence both inside and outside the classroom. In addition to the recognition this award provides, the winning school also receives a $1,000 prize.

After a full week of voting, the results are in… West Morris Central took first place in the North Jersey category! WMC received 48.3% of the votes, nearly doubling the second-place votes. 

Principal Timothy Rymer, believes that everyone inside the building can feel the school’s camaraderie, whether it be through the support at a sports game, or a simple “good morning” exchanged between students in the hallways. Mr. Rymer took the award opportunity in stride. He asked himself, “What do we need to do to allow everybody else who doesn’t step foot on our campus every day to feel what we feel?” Mr. Rymer believed that winning this award would show the public what Central is all about. His winning strategy involved pushing the voting link out to as many people as possible – utilizing emails to students, teachers, and parents, as well as social media posts. 

To continue expanding the sense of WMC spirit, Mr. Rymer wants everybody to be able to “quickly learn who we are” at WMC. So, with the $1,000 prize, a brand new carpet featuring WMC’s P.R.I.D.E. traits will be placed by the main office to welcome visitors into the school. 

Thanks to the NJ.com School Spirit Award, West Morris Central’s community will not go unnoticed. Wolfpack pride is a legacy that will be carried on for years to come, fostered through spirit weeks and spirit rallies, to continue building a sense of community inside of the school.