Cheers, screaming, laughing, and even singing are all things you would expect to hear walking into a Plainfield East High School football game. The student section at Plainfield East is electric. Adding themes to a football game makes it even better. You may feel a bit awkward walking out of your house with your interestingly colored clothes, but once you enter the school building and see all your classmates dressed in a crazy and fun way, you will feel at home.
“It is an opportunity to showcase the great things happening here at Plainfield East. School spirit is truly about supporting one another and showcasing the awesome things that students and staff are doing for the community,” said freshman baseball and assistant girls’ golf coach William Murphy. “I love seeing students participate together. After the COVID school year, the prevailing feeling is that we lack togetherness, but these events showcase how far we have come back towards normal school events. It definitely gives me a proud feeling to see our school come together.”
Seeing students dressed up makes everyone feel more like a family. “The experience gives us as teachers an opportunity to see our students beyond the academic lens, and can help us create better connections with students when we can talk about these events together and watch all the smiles throughout the week,” said Murphy.
Having student leaders can help students feel like they are being listened to. “It is important to me that people participate in dressing up in the theme for school and the games, as it builds a sense of community and school pride. When everyone participates, it creates a fun, exciting atmosphere where students feel connected,” said two-year Orange Crush leader Annabelle Batinick. She wishes the future of Orange Crush to “continue to grow stronger.”
Plainfield East’s new principal hopes to keep the school spirit tradition alive. “School spirit is about being a team and a family and trying to be on the same page. Being excited about the attributes that we all are, hopefully striving to be together,” said Principal Kai Freeman. Seeing his students dressed up makes him think, “ there was the thought process to say, hey, today is such and such day, or hey, I gotta make sure I wear the right attire for this day.”
