After the school day ends, Freshman Gavin Long heads home and starts to get ready for the evening’s activities. Even after a long day of learning, Long goes back to the high school, ready to cheer on his team and classmates. From the time the players run onto the court to the time the last player has left, Long stays and supports Revere High School (RHS).

Long has slowly become commonplace at almost every event in the Revere district. Long has made it his mission since middle school to make the most of high school and to increase school spirit. Alongside these goals, he is the Freshman Class Council president.

“I want to change Revere. I want to be someone who has an impact like Mikey Kahoe had with his class. A big part of this is because I want to enjoy going to school but also try to get others more involved in our district,” Long said.

Long does not take his goals lightly; he believes that it is very important as a student to attend school sporting events and be active in his district.

“I think that it is one of my top priorities to be at most games that happen during the year. I play sports, and I know how good it feels to be out there knowing that people came to watch you and your teammates. It’s great when you’re doing something you like and competing with other schools. If you’re not there to support people in their own sports, you’re not going to be supported by them. It’s nice to have school spirit. It’s something you don’t see a lot of nowadays,” Long said.

As Freshman Class president, Long enjoys his role in meeting new people with shared goals and ideas.

“Class president for the Freshman isn’t a very big deal, but I believe it can be a learning experience and I enjoy doing it. If you have the right adviser, you can make some pretty awesome project ideas come to life. It’s sometimes hard to get everyone on the right page, but the experience is worth it. I was treasurer in eighth grade, so this is kind of a step up from that right now,” Long said

As of now, Long is uncertain of his role in the future as class president and his path in high school.

“I like being president, but it’s a slippery slope as to what I’ll do. With so many changes coming up like driving and testing, I may not run next year. Everything with growing up is a lot to take in at once, and I have a lot of respect for people like Nathan Cronin who can do that and more. I don’t have that much say in the matter because I’m just a freshman, but I have made some observations over the school year about it,” Long said.

Ever since Long was young, he enjoyed going to events and he liked the atmosphere of people all rooting on a team or cheering for a sport.

“I’ve always been a social butterfly. I have a great time when I’m talking to new people. I love other people being there and supporting what I’m supporting, even seeing the same thing mirrored on the opponent’s side is nice,” Long said.

Long has firsthand experience of the effects that school spirit and support have on a game or competition.

“Sometimes you can feel the entire energy of the game change. This only happens if your student section and bleachers are cheering. When everyone is invested in the game, it can make all the difference between a win and a loss. Sports have that way of bringing people together, no matter what the event. That one moment in a game revives the crowd and then the team. Those are just really cool things to be a part of,” Long said.

Freshman Donovan Farrow is one of Long’s teammates in track and field as well as football. Farrow enjoys competing with and hanging out with Long.

“I like to think of Gavin as the next Colton Carmichael. He always has a positive mindset about life, and he always brings energy with him. He’s always involved no matter what it is from football to academics to electives, he’s on it. He is the most positive person I’ve met, and I want him to keep doing what he’s doing because he’s a light to everybody,” Farrow said.

Even in his short career at RHS, Long has many important memories from his time at events.

“Being at some of these [sporting events] has given me some amazing lifelong memories. Just this year, we beat Copley for the bell. The entire game was amazing to watch, and as a Freshman, on the sidelines, I’ll never forget that game. The last couple of minutes were kind of iffy though, but the locker room afterward was awesome,” Long said.

Senior Jack Smith often goes to school events and has seen Long there numerous times.

“Gavin is a really outgoing kid. I like to think that his actions will rub off on other kids, especially his fellow underclassmen. He’s really nice and can do a lot for Revere if he puts his mind to it,” Smith said.

When it comes to changes at the school, Long supports the ideas the administration and staff have come up with.

“Vision of the Minuteman is a great idea. I love the meaning behind it. It can be a little cheesy, but it will definitely get some people going. There’s always going to be people who don’t want to partake in stuff like that and it’s perfectly fine. However, we just have to have some school spirit,” Long said.

Long has noticed a difference in Revere from other schools when it comes to school spirit and events.

“At Revere, we have a lot of sports. Unlike some other schools though, those sports have equal attendance or passion. I’ve noticed that people don’t just show up to one sport or another, we get good numbers for most sports. Even the concessions are almost always manned by students volunteering. It’s something Revere has going for it that’s really nice to watch and be a part of,” Long said.

For anyone wondering how to get into more activities or show their school spirit, Long has some very straightforward advice for them.

“Just go for it, take the risk. You’re either going to love it and keep at it, or you’re going to learn something about yourself. No matter what happens you’ll learn something again, and showing more school spirit is always a good thing.” Long said. 

On a day off, Long can be found at home talking with his friends making plans to hang out or getting ready for the next big event.