When we are young, we are taught to not lie. Well, this is me not lying: I can honestly say that I thought MVHS would win at the first ever FUHSD Fantastics.
This is me not lying again: To my surprise, MVHS lost.
MVHS is structured around competition. Our API scores would not be nearly as high if we were not competing to get into top tier universities. Seniors would not cry after losing the Homecoming Rally if friendly competition meant nothing to them. And MVHS would not have had the biggest turn out at FUHSD Fantastics after the home school themselves if we had not come to win.
Walking into FUHSD Fantastics, I was not surprised to see an entire section of the gym engulfed in purple pride. After looking around, I thought that we had the rally in the bag. Our cheers seemed more together, and our encouragements louder and our shrieks more piercing. What we lacked in the games, we made up for in spirit.
Fast forward to the announcing of places by MVHS’s Dean of Students, Mr. White, when we were handed a discouraging third. To a school that expected first, third is an unwelcome surprise.
This is not advocating that MVHS should have indeed received first — I think that LHS, the winners of the rally, did a swell job themselves — but I feel that because of our competitive nature we were not equipped to handle a measly third place.
We are a student body that aims to win, not just at rallies, but in life. We need to take the most difficult classes, and go to the best colleges to get the most secure jobs. This all is fine and dandy on paper, but what happens if we lose?
There is no lack of awareness about the importance of a college education at MVHS. The idealism that getting into a good school will equal a happy life is an illusion that countless students buy into. It is because of this that when someone does not get into the college of their dreams, it feels as if their life has ended.
Competition is not a bad thing in general, and if used beneficially it can help individuals achieve greatness. But with great competition, comes great responsibility. We need to be able to lose in a healthy manner, because we are bound to not win every time.
That was us at FUHSD Fantastics. We sat there stunned for a second that we had actually lost. And after the initial shock wore off we realized that everything would go back to normal within the hour. We had fun, and we lost. No harm, no foul.
And this is what we should keep in mind during all the competitions that take place at MVHS. It will all be all right in the end, because losing a little competition never hurt anyone — in fact, it probably builds character.
