YCP Blog - Spartan Spirit

Archivist Karen Rice-Young ’92 recently discovered the story of the Spartan Circus, an annual event that ran from 1977-1979.

From the first day on campus to donning their caps and gowns, the past few years have been an adventure for the Class of 2021.

In addition to being the traditional day for pranks and jokes, April 1, 2021 also marks the 275th birthday of the very first founder in York College of Pennsylvania’s history. The Reverend John Andrews, the original founder of the York County Academy opened a small classical school that, through a merger and many name changes, became the four-year institution we now know as York College.

Community service is a big part of the York College experience. Social distancing measures may have changed how that’s done, but students are still finding ways to make an impact.

Honoring York College Spartans as they uphold the values, responsibility, and integrity of the Spartan Oath. Small acts of kindness each day, add up to a huge difference.

As we prepare for the pomp and circumstance of the Class of 2020’s big day, we posed a simple question to @YorkCollegePA’s Instagram Stories audience: What is your favorite YCP memory? We heard from this semester’s graduates, YCP alumni, and even a future Spartan—and in many ways, their answers told the story of our Spartan family.

Gabrielle Ingoglia '20 has spent four-and-a-half years of her life at York College of Pennsylvania. Now, as she prepares to graduate in December 2020, she's sharing some of the lessons learned during her time here.

With social distancing and mask-wearing protocols in place campus-wide, most of the usual recreational athletic activities were canceled for the fall 2020 semester. That meant no intramural basketball, no flag football, no volleyball — nothing that requires players to move within six feet of one another. While new competitions were created for fantasy football, air hockey, table tennis, and other no-contact games, something was still missing. That’s when the campus recreation team discovered a new sport: knocker soccer.

At first glance, the shared values of our Spartan Oath seem simple — but living them day after day, especially in the face of new challenges and obstacles, isn’t always easy. That’s why the Office of Residence Life and Housing chose to launch “Spartan Shoutouts” this fall.