Editor’s Note: Lizzy Sorensen, the secondary author of this article, is a member of the dance team that performed at Panther Fest. She aided in the writing and editing of the following article, but not the reporting or photography.
Pantherfest was held at Oswego High School on Aug. 23 in order to raise money for school athletics. Some of the festivities included sport scrimmages, games, and performances by band, choir and dance teams. Additionally, there were various tents set up by different sports teams and businesses, including Jimmy Johns, Chick-Fil-A, and Freddie’s Off The Chain Catering.
One of the tents set up by the Marines had a curl-up bar where people could test their upper body strength. This prompted hordes of people to flock to where they set up to exercise and learn more about the Marine Corps. The Marines present displayed strong support for the branch.
“[The Marines is] the best branch that the United States military has,” Private First Class Connor Wells said.
Amongst the other tents were the Pantherettes, who brought a popular face-painting station to the event. The Pantherettes are the recreational and competitive dance team with members from OHS. The members showed their support for the school through their participation.
“I have been dancing since I was about 3 years old, and I wanted to get involved at the community at OHS, so I thought this would be a great opportunity,” junior Katie McCumber said.
Other Pantherettes displayed similar feelings of gratitude for the team.
“I think that the OHS dance team is honestly one of the best things that has helped me kind of get involved in the school and get comfortable with it,” sophomore Sophie Saunders said.
Other sports, such as the Co-Op Swim Team, were present at the Pantherfest festivities as well. Despite the fact that Oswego High School doesn’t have a pool to swim in, they don’t let that stop them.
“We swim at [Oswego East High School]…a lot of us just drive there with our own cars or we carpool; they also offer a bus that goes from OHS to OEHS,” senior swimmer Garrett Patrick O’Grady said.
Their tent gained a lot of attention and spread awareness to possible future members.
All of the teams and organizations that showed up to kick off the school year were very much appreciated. Scroll through the slideshow below to see pictures from the event!