That’s right. This plastic, Wylie-gold horn that sounds like the horns blown fiercely at soccer matches, excuse me, I mean football matches across the pond like in Spain or England has its own little history.
It all started in 2017, when Wylie sophomore Stran Blair grabbed it out of his mom Daisy Yoder’s classroom as he raced to the pep rally. It’s pretty much been a staple at the pep rallies since, helping to pump up the crowd. Yoder said it became a tradition in their family – Stran passed the spirit horn to his younger brother Cutter in the fall of 2019, which he kept until the fall of 2022.
“By then the horn seemed like it should be given to someone other than the brothers to keep the tradition alive,” said Yoder. In comes the current “keeper” of the horn, senior Ashtyn Kershner.
“Since I didn’t have a younger brother that would be in high school anytime soon, I decided to find someone younger than me that I thought would have the most fun with it,” said Cutter. “Ashtyn just seemed like the obvious choice for it.”
Kershner, who is well known for his presence on the Wylie Theatre stage and has a history of participating in spirit days since junior high, took responsibility for the horn when he was a sophomore.
“The horn serves as something to look forward to at pep rallies: its job is to keep the student section hype,” said Kershner. “At first, I didn’t really grasp the opportunity placed in my hands, but I slowly realized the power the horn has and how lucky I was to be chosen to be the next holder.”
Cutter said the goal is to make as much noise as possible. “It can be excited or funny. It can be heard over a crowd full of cheers, but I found it most effective to blow in the quieter moments because it was much more distinguished, which made it more effective.”
“The spirit horn has made itself a part of the student section,” said Kershner. “It’s been an honor to hold the horn, and this year, I will make my decision on who I would like to pass to.” Kershner made his decision and selected freshman Fletcher Smith, presenting the spirit horn to him on Nov. 17.