If you think football season is just about the scores, you haven’t had looked at the student section lately.
Tonight, look for the Pink Out at Joliet West and be prepared to see the loud, stylish, and exciting Driven by tradition and led by Orange Crew, themes like “Neon” and “Frat” have turned ordinary Friday nights into highly anticipated events.
“I really love going to the football games, especially going [into] my senior year,” OH senior Mak Hill said.
Each year, OH students anticipate the themes to be announced. Some notable themes this year include “Frat,” “Blue Out,” and “Neon.”
Students have different ways of interpreting these themes. For example, one of the themes this year was “Frat.”
“It was amazing, people used black polos, backwards hats and some of them had red solos,” Hill said.
That adaptability isn’t coincidental— Orange Crew does their best to make the themes accessible for as many students as possible, using broad categories, especially colors.
“I am thinking about doing ‘Gotham,’ so it’s like ‘Blackout’ if [students] don’t have anything,” OH Senior and Orange Crew Leader Carter Anderson said.
While there are many great themes, there are only so many games to use them at, leaving some ideas saved for other years.
“I would have liked to do ‘Minions,’” Anderson said.
While many of the themes are lighthearted, there are also many annual repeats with more emotional significance. “Pink Out” happens every year in Oct. for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Another theme is “Blue Out,” which is a tribute to former student Sean Fader, who passed in (YEAR).
The commitment that some students have for these themes is admirable. From things like painting their body to buying full costumes, Friday Night Lights is a feeling that is irreplaceable.
One of the themes coming up is class colors. With this Orange Crew theme, fans can really see the different levels of involvement between the grades.
Others coming up include “White Out,” “Pink out,” and the most-anticipated Crosstown theme, which is still to be announced.
Whatever it is, the student body will show up, as they live for the themes that bring them together in support of the Panthers.
I am a managing and social media editor on 42Fifty. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and my putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feekback on our publication.
Hi! My name is Ainslee Gerardot and I'm a senior at Oswego High School. This is my second year of the 42Fifty staff, and I am proud to serve as Social Media Editor and Co-Editor-in-Chief. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
