(Editor’s Note: After she sent a controversial “reply all” to a PV football-related email in mid-October, The Smoke Signal invited Summer McSpirit to write an Op Ed to clarify her stance. Flanagan’s piece comes on the heels of Brianna Ruback’s much discussed column from Monday, “Are high school sports overemphasized?”)

“You’re actually my hero, Summer!”

“I’d say you’re the most hated person in this school right now.”

“I have a ridiculous amount of respect for you.”

These were just some of the contrasting cries of both praise and scorn that I was met with from my peers as I walked through the halls on Friday, Oct. 16.

If you’re a PV student who regularly checks your e-mails, then you know exactly what these students are referring to. You receive the football game reminders from seniors every week, highlighting the words “Valley” and “pride,” the day before, you had also received my sarcastic response to that week’s notice, highlighting a number of random words and punctuation in the same manner. In my own email, I called the players “my true heroes,” and after listing 25 other student organizations and teams, I let the team know that “not a single person involved in any of these could match your accomplishments.”

Immediately after sending the email, I knew that my intentions would be misinterpreted by a large portion of those who would read it. Some of the first responses I received were positive, with students thanking me and telling me that they found it to be a great joke. Some students didn’t recognize the sarcasm, and I had to explain myself to these individuals as they approached me and asked why I would put down so many other clearly talented groups. But, by far, the worst reactions I received were those from “my true heroes” – the football seniors.

Evidently, my e-mail was interpreted by some as an attack on the players and their character, and some of even my closest friends felt that I was trying to discredit their work as members of the team. I explained to them as they approached me, and I will clarify now, that my intent was never to take away from the obviously outstanding accomplishments of the football program, and I never wished for students to think less of them as a result. I have a lot of pride for the PV football team. My step-dad, Mr. Russ Grier, played for the team during his days at Pascack Valley, and my grandfather, Bob McSpirit, picked the school colors during his days as the school’s first-ever quarterback. Believe me when I say that, if anyone’s blood runs green and white at this school, it’s my own.

But there’s one question I would like to ask the student body, which perhaps I should have clarified in my e-mail: why is the term “Valley Pride” one that we only use when referring to football?

Our school is full of students who I believe to be outstandingly talented, but each student is talented in areas immensely different from the next. While Krista Voto is willing to admit that she can’t belt out “Back to Black” by Amy Winehouse, she can draw a stellar picture of the Buddha better than anyone else. While Josh Kasper can’t draw like Krista, he just so happens to be a four-sport varsity athlete. Lyndsay Grilo isn’t exactly a four-sport varsity athlete, but she can definitely serve an ace with ease in volleyball. And while you can no longer find Alex Brennan on the volleyball court, she’s the one you’ll find killing her performance of “Back to Black” at Talent Night. In speaking to some friends about my e-mail, Josh Kim informed me that PV’s chamber choir ranked first out of almost 40 states in one competition. Another student informed me that, as a member of the robotics team, he often works on the team’s robot at the school until ten o’clock at night. And, of course, our football team proved themselves to be the most talented football team in the state last year when they came home from MetLife Stadium as State Champions.

Pascack Valley has a lot of reasons to be extremely proud of its students and their accomplishments, and that is exactly what I was trying to convey when I e-mailed everyone on that Thursday afternoon in October. I think students should be in attendance at the coffeehouse, Talent Night, volleyball games, the musical, hockey games, wrestling matches, and all other events to support their friends and peers. As students, we have the power to dictate what’s important to us, and I think that it’s important to make all activities, clubs, and teams a priority and a reason to be proud. I believe that, ultimately, we need to take “Valley Pride” to a new level, and make sure that we support every single one of our Indians in whatever they do.