The Griffith student section is an integral part to our school and community spirit. Every Friday during the football season, students from freshmen to seniors gather under those Friday night lights to show their spirit. While we may all be excited to be a part of it, do we really know what a student section is, what it means, and what goes into making it the center of our Friday nights?

      First thing’s first, a student section is, obviously, the section for students of the home or away teams during Friday night football games. These student sections are usually sorted in a way of seniority, seniors nearest to the game and freshman nearest the top of the bleachers. The seniors are usually the stars of the show in this scenario, starting the chants, spreading the spirit, and generally leading the section.

     “Seniors influence the section because we want to support the teams and have a great time,” said Ryan Jelenski, a senior who’s quite dedicated to the Griffith student section, “but also to continue the tradition of the student section.”

        Underclassmen think the same, such as sophomore Odeh Issa, “The student section is fun because the seniors do a great job at keeping everyone active and loud.”

       Although, the student section isn’t all fun and games, some serious planning goes into each game. Every game, the student section decides a clothing theme. This can range from dressing all white to dressing in cowboy attire, and this is all decided by the GHS Student Section Twitter page. The themes keep the school united, even if the seniors lead the action.

    The student section’s energy is brought by a group of excited seniors. These seniors put in their all to make the student section the highlights of Friday. The student section represents the entire high school coming together to spread Panther Pride. While some work goes into it, the energy of the student section makes it all worth it in the end.