As the theme for this school year is “Whitney World Tour,” staff are participating in CLAW-Chella – a staff spirit competition – as a way to improve the culture between the school and the staff. The program includes encouraging teams of teachers to participate in things such as Maroon Friday, attending staff meetings, LTA’s, X-factor games and other events throughout the year.  

“I was asked to run a staff competition, and after talking to several staff members, it evolved into a fantasy sports league type format. We held a draft for team members and each week there are opportunities to earn points for your team,” Assistant Principal Mrs. Jennifer Hanks said. 

Teams were able to come up with their own names such as Solid Gold, #TeamMOMS and Cat Pack. 

“We’re #TeamMOMS and I love our group. We’re doing a fantastic job and having fun at the same time. Go #TeamMOMS and we love our Whitney Wildcats,” Mrs. Katie Staggs said. 

Teachers like Mr. Alex Anderson, leader of “Solid Gold,” believe that CLAW-Chella will get more teachers involved with the little things that go on around campus. 

“We all have things that we do outside of our normal teaching responsibilities, whether we have kids, hobbies or coaching jobs, but I think the majority of teachers would agree that the culture and overall ‘school spirit’ amongst the staff has been low since COVID so this is a great idea to help build that back up,” Anderson said.

While CLAW-Chella is a competition to boost school spirit, it also allows the teachers to build a stronger community with one another. 

“It’s a way for teachers to make time to hang out with each other, especially with people that teach outside your subject area or in a different building,” Staggs said. 

To spread the news of the competition, there will be social media posts on @whitneyuntied introducing each team.

“I have partnered with Mr. Anderson and his sports marketing graphic students. They created a logo for each team, and soon we will be utilizing social media to introduce students to the teams and the staff that are on each team,” Hanks said. 

by KAYLEIGH BUTLER AND KATIE LACY