Our student section here at North Polk High school has grown in both size and spirit in the past few years, and it continues to grow each game. So if you choose to participate, get loud.
Brady Scholten, a student here at North Polk, defined a student section as, “[a] group of students who are cheering on their classmates and friends in their activities.” He went on, stating, “I would also say it is a way for people to interact with students from other schools in a friendly and competitive environment.”
When asked his favorite part about being in the student section, he answered with, “my favorite part about our student section is our dedication.” He explained how he and about 9-10 other guys go all out for the themes and show up to almost every game. When it’s a home game, there is always a good amount of students in the student section who participate in cheers and the theme. In addition, Brady stated, “I like looking back from my spot on the fence and seeing a bunch of Comets coming together to show support to our athletes and classmates.
For Lindsey Dose, the Dean of Students, the definition of a student section is “[a] group of students at a North Polk event that cheer and uplift the Comet team competing or performing.” Dose said, “football games] should be a fun, energetic crowd that chants, sings, and roots for the North Polk Comets.”
Dose was hired as our dean this school year, so she just monitored our student section for the first time. When asked what she has noticed so far, Dose explained how she liked the themes from week to week and how many students commit to each of the themes. She went on to talk about the first game of the season, stating “[t]he atmosphere was electric the night we came back and beat Bondurant-Farrar. I liked seeing the students run from the stands to the north endzone.”
When it comes to the school’s expectations for the student section, Dose goes by the handbook rules. “Students are expected to be positive, and there should not be negative comments directed at the officials, opposing team and/or spectators” she explained. Because after school events and activities are an extension of the school day, the handbook rules apply. “The expectation is that students conduct themselves in the same manner they do at school,” Dose ended with.
As an active participant for our school’s student section, Brady explained that there are non-handbook expectations for each student who chooses to sit in the section, stating“I think that if you’re going to sit in the student section, you have to participate the whole time.” Brady understands that while the game can have boring parts, it’s important to watch the entire game and be loud the entire game. He went onto explain the ‘dress code’ for each game: “I also think that people should dress in theme because it just makes the whole experience better in my opinion. You may feel a bit silly dressing up in some themes but it always looks nice when a student section can all dress up for a theme.
When asked why students should be a part of the student section, Dose said, “[t]o demonstrate school pride and support their classmates. The student section is a place to have fun and make memories. Some of my favorite high school memories involve road trips to games and sign making to support players.” Brady responded with a similar statement, “[o]ther students should come to our student section because it is a great place to be during the game. You get to be around your friends while being part of something bigger than yourself.”
