It was a freezing 43-degree evening, but that would not stop our Panthers fans from cramming into carpools and large fan buses to Manhattanville College. 

The crowd was booming. The bleachers were shaking. We were watching a sea of students, teachers, and parents all come together, collectively wearing our beloved school’s bright purple. 

“Let’s go Masters, let’s go Masters, let’s go Masters!” the crowd yells. Suddenly, Daniel Heller shoots, Goal. The crowd goes wild. Goal. Masters and Heller strike again. 

Finally, Masters fans start counting down. “10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5.” As the countdown gets closer, the fans get louder. “4, 3, 2,-.” Before the crowd could even finish the countdown, the crowd roared and they celebrated. Fans were hugging each other, some were crying tears of joy, and they all rushed the field and mobbed the soccer team and shared this special moment of success and joy together, as a community.

The Masters Boys Varsity Soccer team beat our biggest rivals, Hackley, 2-1 to secure the NYSAIS state championship on Sunday, November 7, 2021, and everyone stayed to watch the team go through the award ceremony and roared for each and every single one of our players as they picked up their individual championship plaques.

Only upperclassmen were here to witness that special moment: a memory forever ingrained in our hearts and minds. We, as Masters students, were proud. Proud of our school’s accomplishments, but also proud to be a part of this community: The team’s victory was a win for the entire Masters School community. But while this moment was special, it was the last moment of big, united school spirit and pride that we’ve had for years.

As the fall season comes to a close and the winter season rises upon the Masters community, it is important to reflect on how have we supported the sports and arts environment. While we haven’t had another championship in any sports since that iconic win, that is not an excuse to not show up. In the fall season alone there were six games senior games which displayed dedicated Masters athletes and many of our senior actors and dancers as well who took their final bow on a Masters stage. 

We implore everyone to support not just Masters’ most popular sports, like soccer and basketball, but also overlooked sports like field hockey, swimming, fencing, golf, and more, because all of our Panthers deserve love and energy at their games.

As members of this community, it is our responsibility to show up — and show up proud and loud. Home games should be explosive, with the stands filled and the crowd screaming the names of our athletes. Performances should roar with the sound of applause, and standing ovations after the final curtain drops.

Energy is infectious and can inspire love, joy, and passion. It helps build a positive culture, and bring us more joyful moments like that NYSAIS win. Our energy can inspire our athletes and artists to play harder and represent Masters with skill and pride.

To the athletes and artists in our community, it is also your responsibility to work on your craft to the best of your ability and step it up. Continue to work hard and give everyone in this community something to cheer for.

In whatever you do, and however you participate, remember our school’s mission statement. Do it with thy might, Play with thy might, perform with thy might and, most importantly, support with thy might.