The Spirit Of Mesa High"
For I am the Spirit of Mesa High! I can be found in any corner. I speak from the trophy case, from the flags in the auditorium, from the pictures of students of by-gone years, from the trees planted by those students, from our Carry On sign and from the crowds of students in the halls of Mesa High today.
Throughout the many years, I have watched Mesa High grow from a tiny school consisting of a handful of students to the proud, prosperous institution it now is. I have watched the students come and go, and have instilled myself in the hearts of all those who have entered and passed through these halls. I have seen history made and have watched the traditions emerge and become a part of every student's life; not in the form of laws and rules, but as an unspoken code of living.
It was I who inspired Zedo Ishikawa to utter the words, "Carry On," which became the motto and driving force of our school. In 1932 it was I who prompted Harelson and Southern, then teachers of Mesa High, to put this motto into the song, "Carry On."
One of the reasons I exist is because of the close fellowship between teachers and students. I inspire the seniors each year in the selection of a gift to the school which is given in appreciation of what I have done for them. Another senior custom is the singing of "Carry On" while they leave the Honor Assembly and during the graduation ceremonies.
I enter into every athletic competition to help prove, "You can't beat Mesa High!" in spirit of sportsmanship. I was present way back in 1904 when our first baseball team was organized as the "Diamonds" and have come down through the years with those teams. I was there in 1917 when the students voted to take the name "Jackrabbit" as a symbol for our school and again in 1918, when purple and gold were adopted as the school colors.I was in the heart of Nora Smith who produced the first annual, twelve handwritten copies distributed to just the senior class. I inspired the staff under Phyliss Brizzie to name the 1920 annual after the Superstition Mountain. This makes us unique in the fact that no other school we know of has a mountain such as our Superstition Mountain for their symbol.
Throughout the years, as the Spirit of Mesa High, I have watched these and many other traditions grow to become the cherished memories of your high school years. Be proud of these traditions and of me, students of the present, and for the sake of the thousands that have gone before. . . "Carry On"
