It’s a Friday night. Football season has officially started and faces crowd the home stands, students and parents alike — painted faces, colorful outfits, and chants that ring loud, reaching across the field.
Neon, cowboy, minion… whether they’re passing around face paint or wearing a tutu and matching with a friend, following the spirit themes brings the student body together. Although, what really brings students together is each other.
Junior Paige Morse grew up around football, making it something that she has always loved. “I grew up going to a lot of football games because my brother always played when he was little,” Morse said. “I think growing up around [football] has just made me really excited to get into it.”
While part of her appreciation for football was her upbringing with the sport, part of it was also her upbringing with WAHS itself. “I loved dressing up in West Albany [merchandise] when I was [younger], and I’ve just grown up around West because my mom’s a teacher,” Morse said. “I really have appreciated the culture here.”
For junior Josie Gaitaud, her appreciation for the games comes purely from her love for it all. “I love watching football, I love the student section and hanging out with my friends, and I love supporting the players,” Gaitaud said. “[The games] are the funnest thing ever.”
Gaitaud believes that it’s important to dress up for the themes to be the best representations of the school’s spirit. “Dressing up for the game shows our school spirit, and that shows off our school,” Gaitaud said. “It lets everybody be themselves and be creative, but also we all match as a student body.”
Having spirit themes for sports games throughout the school year helps bring the students closer and helps everyone feel welcome.
“Seeing how everyone does it differently in their own style is just really fun. You have some boys who literally paint their whole bodies, and some girls do it so cute and always look adorable,” Morse said. “I like everyone’s take on it, and how it brings us all together.”
