School spirit encompasses a wide range of school activities, such as band, drama, robotics, athletics and art, and no one has more school spirit than southwest Michigan.

I am proud to once again sponsor the Southwest Michigan Spirit Tournament to get our local students and communities involved in celebrating our schools in a way that inspires creativity.

The response to this competition during its first three years was phenomenal. Fans of area schools submitted thousands of photos and videos that reached tens of thousands of people who cast hundreds of thousands of votes.

The 2017 competition began on March 20 and will span five weeks, ending at noon on Friday, April 21.

The champion will receive a special tribute from the governor and area legislators commending their school and will house an engraved trophy until the following year. Currently, the trophy is held by the Marcellus Wildcats.

The 31 high schools in the tournament were divided into four brackets that were named for features that characterize Southwest Michigan. School matchups were chosen at random.

Like in the NCAA basketball tournament, the schools will compete in a single-elimination bracket contest, and those with the most points will move on each week. There are several ways to earn points, such as voting in polls or submitting unique photos about your school.

For the bracket, complete rules and information, visit the Spirit Tournament page on my Senate website at SenatorJohnProos.com.

Visitors to my Facebook page, John Proos Supporters Page, can also upload photos and earn bonus points when others “like” the photo. Another way to earn points is to follow me on Twitter and send a tweet to @JohnMProos that includes the school name and the hashtag #SWMISpirit.

Fans can also earn 10 points for sharing my posts about the contest on Facebook or retweeting my tournament-related tweets.

I encourage students and alumni to show their school spirit and pride and seize this chance to showcase what makes their school great.

Sen. John Proos, R-St. Joseph, represents southwest Michigan.