Students show true colors: black, purple BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer OLD BRIDGE - The principal of Old Bridge High School has stepped up efforts to create a larger sense of school spirit among students. Perhaps most notably, Jim Hickey joined the drill team in a step routine at a fall pep rally, met with applause and chants of "Hickey! Hickey!" "I don't know what got into me," he said. "Of course, when I did it, it got a good reception from the kids." Hickey's fancy footwork was only one of the principal's methods of getting students riled up in support of their school. Since the beginning of the school year, he has brainstormed with students about the best ways to inspire loyalty and pride among the teens at the school. "School spirit has been very much a priority for the community," Hickey said. "[But] Rome wasn't built in a day." Efforts to bolster school spirit have been long in the making, but this year things are moving to a new level. A group called the Presidents' Council, which comprises the heads of every student group at the school, gathers once a month to explore ideas for bringing new zeal to students, Hickey said. "We have more input, and more interest on the part of the students," Hickey said. "Nothing succeeds like success. Everybody is jumping on the bandwagon." One innovation was the simulcast of a pep rally for students at the Grade Nine Center and for sophomores. Since the school's approximately 3,100 students cannot be housed in any one place at the high school complex, the live feed allowed every student to be in on the action, Hickey said. Though the simulcast proved successful, the work involved in putting it together makes it difficult to pull off for every pep rally. Instead, two rallies will be held in the future, in order to include all students. Back when the town's high schools were Cedar Ridge and Madison Central, the marching bands would parade through the halls and cafeterias, drumming up enthusiasm before a big sporting event. Hickey decided to give the tactic a try. "The kids loved it," Hickey said. "It was almost like the Pied Piper." The drill team also paid a visit to students during lunch periods, he said. While Hickey is working on impacting the student body, they are also able to influence him. At a September football game that started with a tailgating party and ended in a 29-28 Old Bridge victory over Edison, frenzied students chanted, "No school" in the hope of getting the next day off. Then, maybe realizing that request would not be granted, the teens opted for "No tests." Hickey complied, and the 800- plus in attendance spread the word via phone calls, texts and e-mails that there would be no tests or quizzes the following day. Black and Purple Night, on Dec. 12, will be another spirit-raising event. Showcasing the basketball team, the night will see students dressed in school colors, with prizes given out to keep things exciting, according to Hickey. Since the east and west high school locations merged to form one unified campus, the feeling of school identity and fellowship keeps growing stronger. "Many people find change difficult, but with all that change behind us, I think we're poised to move in a forward direction at a very rapid pace," Hickey said.