For as long as anyone can recollect, FHC varsity football games have been substantial opportunities for students to leave behind any anxieties and let loose with their peers. Besides cheering and screaming at the top of their lungs, students can also use the games to relax and be someone else for the night, even if that only shows in the way they dress. 

While the football team has only had a couple of games this season, the themes for the student section to represent have already been off to a noteworthy start. Anywhere from white-out to beach-out, students detect a way to incorporate their own style into the assigned themes by the student section leaders.

Senior Kenzie Hushak is one of these section leaders; alongside fellow seniors Joe Murdock, Coco Corey, and Josh Smith, Kenzie helps develop themes for each game. As well as using her creativity and social skills to work alongside her peers, Kenzie is in charge of the student section’s Instagram, where freshmen through seniors can seek out information about each game.

“Partially, my job is about making sure there’s a big, loud, energetic crowd,” Kenzie said, “but I’m also in charge of posting on the student section’s Instagram page. [Students] can leave a comment on the post or direct message me. I honestly enjoy helping—I like knowing that people are invested.” 

While Kenzie’s personal Instagram is highly aesthetic, she obviously tries to carry over that professional look into the student section’s posts. As well as posting about each theme, Kenzie shows up to every game in her most unrivaled attire to get the crowd rowdy and ready for the hopefully successful game ahead.

“As student section leaders, we like to see energy,” Kenzie stated. “If you aren’t going to be cheering, why are you at the games? We would love to see a lot of excitement from all ends—it’s part of the reason we’re all there.”

While it can be perceived that the student section’s energy may be lacking, peers who stand out to Kenzie the most are usually the best dressed. The people with the most clamorous chants and high levels of energy can be seen going all out for each theme.

While every suggested dress code is contrasting compared to the last, the same people show off their school spirit and support for their preferred high school team by dressing to impress. While people’s innovation for each look can vary from glitter and paint to flamboyant, cohesive pieces, everyone keeps the theme in mind.

“I think my favorite [theme] this year was white-out because that theme is all about the seniors,” Kenzie said. “With all of our togas, it’s a fun way to highlight our class. I also think it’s fun to throw the flour each year. The first white-out I ever went to sticks out to me the most; I knew we were throwing flour, but I guess I wasn’t aware of how big a deal it was going to be. I remember throwing it, and I got absolutely smacked in the face. It was everywhere: in my eyes, up my nose, and down my throat. The flour settled, and everyone was covered too; it was awful, but so funny at the exact same time.”

The student section leaders are known to put in the most effort for every outfit and tradition, but what about the students in the stands themselves? Junior Thea Sloat has been to two out of the three games so far this year, and she finds herself devoted to every second of getting dressed and ready each Friday night.

“I really enjoy getting ready [for the football games],” Thea said. “It’s one of my favorite things. It’s something to do with friends, so you aren’t just laying around on a Friday night. There’s a lot of excitement [around football games]; it rallies people up and gets them hyped.”

As a whole, our school is brought together through these themes and exceptional times out on the field or in the stands. While it’s essential for students to support their classmates by being the best dressed and putting in as much effort as possible, it can be challenging to find what to wear.

“[The hardest part] is definitely figuring out what to wear,” Thea said. “There are so many things you can do to fit a theme, but it is fun to do it your own way and show how you’re unique. Sometimes, I do have to go out to buy things, which can be really annoying, but I appreciate how [the student section leaders] tell us well in advance what the theme is.”

Finding outfits in a couple of days’ notice can be taxing for students who use their after-school time during the week to get homework finalized or go to work. But, locations like Target or Party City are always crammed with supplies for any theme imaginable, all for somewhat good deals. 

Students can obtain anything from glitter, paint, makeup, accessories, stickers, or hair dye—whatever they necessitate for any theme. Every Friday, the dress code tends to keep within students’ budgets, and items can even be found lying around their homes. 

As well as dressing up, it seems that a lot of the upperclassmen who have attended games during previous years are always exuberant about throwing flour into the air for the white-out game day. Not only do these students come prepared for the night like there’s no tomorrow, but they also get electrified for the simple traditions that FHC has carried out throughout the years.

While students participate in various ways, their peers who take part in activities, such as band or cheerleading, seem to be left behind in this aspect. Freshman Carly Sutherlund spends most of her time engaging in these extracurriculars, which means she hasn’t been able to dress for the themes at all this year. 

It can be disheartening to be excluded from the festivities, but most girls on the cheer team still use their individuality to create makeup looks that fit the student section’s theme of the night. 

“I think it looks nice when [the entire cheer team] is wearing the same uniform,” Carly said, “but we aren’t completely secluded [from the student section]. We’re still able to partake in the themes in one way or another. For example, most of us were wearing glitter for the tailgate game when we all got ready together earlier that day. We’re allowed to also use paint on our arms and legs or change our makeup looks, as long as we are wearing the uniform, bow, and shoes.”

Regardless of the amount of participation that anyone puts in at the games, it’s obvious who cares about school spirit and who doesn’t. From the sidelines, Carly, along with the other cheerleaders, can see every student’s looks all at once, and she has yet to be disappointed. While students’ efforts vary, the section as a whole tends to blow everyone’s minds.

“For example, whenever we do a black-out or a white-out, it’s always fun,” Carly said. “Everyone looks put together and cohesive in the same color. It all looks so cool from across the field. Especially when everyone is cheering along with us and jumping around, everything feels crazy—it’s definitely the best part.”