The stands are packed, crowds are chanting, and the Marist community is all together to cheer on their teams. At Marist, every game has a theme which is taken very seriously, with most fans participating. Some of the favorite themes are: USA, blackout, and camouflage. Dressing up gets the athletes, families, faculty, and spectators pumped up for the games.
“The themes are good ideas for the games, it gives a different way to express yourself, a different way to show your school spirit,” says social studies teacher Mr. Higgins. “They are fun ways for us to get involved in the games.”
From the stands, the effect of the themes give is something unmatched.
“It’s something from my end where I stand at a game and I look across the field, I see everyone and it looks pretty cool,” says President Mr. Tucker.
The spirit of the Marist community is something Tucker knows a lot about from his past experience playing for Marist.
“Playing in front of a student body was huge. You just played so much above where you could normally play when you knew you had that support,” says Tucker.
Student Council President Jack Celauro agrees.
“I do think they affect the overall energy at all the games,” says Celauro.
Picking the themes is always a collaborative process for the student council.
“We meet once at the beginning of the year, during summer and we put all the themes for the football games and the volleyball games together. Kids throw ideas out and everyone agrees or disagrees. Then we assign them to each game,” he says.
Celauro doesn’t only decide the themes, he goes to the next level, dressing to the tens.
“My favorite theme was against Loyola for the South Side green. I got a leprechaun costume. I thought it was fun so I liked that one a lot,” says Celauro.
He wasn’t the only one who loved that theme.
“Being a South Side Irish man myself, from Mount Greenwood, I thought the South Irish theme last Saturday was really cool,” says Higgins.
Celauro says students athletes seem to appreciate the themes.
“Almost every boy on the student council is a football player or basketball player and then we have some volleyball girls so they help pick them…I do think the players like the themes.”
Varsity Volleyball player Brooke Conlan also loves the mood at themed games.
“It changes the energy of the game and the energy of the fans because it makes it more fun,” says Conlan. “I think themes bring school spirit because more people show up, more people are excited to be there, and the energy is different.”
