Tailgate Brings Student Unity During Homecoming
October 27, 2017
Student Council hosted a school-wide tailgate last Friday before the homecoming football game, featuring food and games.
The tailgate, headed by senior school board representative Erin Kaliszak, was based on an event the council hosted 5 years ago. Kaliszak wanted to revamp the event for a different audience.
“I had been talking to my sister who was in council before, and they used to do a tailgate that everyone loved,” said Kaliszak. “But the problem that came every year was the fact that the tailgate turned into an elementary school thing. They couldn’t get high school participation.”
Student Council wanted to find a way to make it easier for students to participate, so they shortened the traditional pep rally and arranged the tailgate during school hours. They based the main idea of the event off of the field day held earlier for students, as they knew that has been a successful event.
Students could choose between a free piece of pizza or a soft pretzel, and homerooms participated in various games as a group.
The tailgate improved the whole feel of homecoming week, according to student council advisor Kellin McCullough. “It got people excited, and it was just something fresh and something different for the student population. New keeps things exciting.”
The student body’s enthusiasm really helped the event thrive. “By Friday everyone’s out of school mode,” said Kaliszak. “It gave everyone a chance to just have fun and show school spirit.”
Most of the success of the event came from the positive response from students such as sophomore Jordan Pflieger.
“I really liked it,” said Pflieger. “It was a lot of fun. I really liked the food.”
Both McCullough and Kaliszak agree that the senior class played a large role in the implementation of the tailgate.
“I just couldn’t be more proud of Student Council and everything they did, but I think it starts with the leadership of the senior class,” said McCullough. “They have worked just so very hard, and they’ve set such an amazing tone for our whole council. They’ve listened to their peers and the whole student body.”
Students can expect to see this event continuing into the future. “It was a lot of work figure it out, so I would hope that they [Student Council] would just take it and just make it even bigger and better next year,” said McCullough.
