Athletic director Andy Ewald walked out of Armstrong High School following the boys’ basketball section quarterfinal game not only sad about the team’s loss, but also about the lack of Park students who attended.

During his five years as head football coach, and his last twelve years as athletic director, Ewald said the amount of support at school events, particularly sporting events, could be stronger.

“At our school there has always been less school spirit than what you would expect from a high school,” Ewald said. “But in the last five years it is clear there is much less attendance at games than usual.”

Ewald said he thinks the amount of students at sporting events depends on the amount of publicity.

“With the world we live in today, social media and the internet is our biggest ally. We can do more around school to promote events, but people are more concerned with what their friends go to,” Ewald said.

Ewald said the athletic department expanded its information to many social media sites in order to promote student attendance at sporting events.

“When we created a Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, it was school spirit we were trying to promote. Other than that, we have tried to do more stuff over the announcements congratulating teams or promoting events,” Ewald said.

Junior Abdi Warsame said although there are students who attend sports games, not all sports are supported equally.

“I think it could be better. A lot of people go to watch some sports but not other sports, and that is a bit disheartening for those athletes,” Warsame said.

Warsame said one of the factors that determines if students go to games is if their friends go.

“If people were more open to going to stuff it would be better. A lot of people are too worried with what others are doing to even go,” Warsame said.

Ewald said school spirit really depends on the ability to come together as a school at games.

“We can do much more in terms of student attendance to games and events,” Ewald said. “So much of school spirit comes from our ability as a community to be united outside of school.”