The Student Section

Football games are and will probably always be the most popular attractions for students looking to socialize, hang out, have fun, and watch the dragons. Now the actions of a few put at risk the fun and social opportunities that should be given during a football game.

During a football game, there are 5 areas- the plaza, the field, the stands for the home team, the stands for the away team and the area of grass behind the home team stands. In those stands for the home team, there is a section for the students at the end and the band is at the other end. This is how it was for the entirety of last year.

When the 2022 season kicked off, people in the student section got wild. It got so out of hand that the ramp for those with disabilities was blocked off by the students. This, of course, poses many hazards to safety. Parents complained about it to Mr. Jones, and once again it was up to him to solve the issue. His solution was to move the student section to the other set of bleachers- the ones for the away team.

The stands for the away team are less popular, of course. Mr. Jones’ thinking was that he could mitigate the risk of the accessibility ramp being unavailable. Those stands are away from all the action, however. For instance, the cheer and pom teams did their performances to the other bleachers- which now house the parents and others from outside CHS. The students were near the visitors because they were not expecting many visitors at the game.

However, this plan did not work. Many of the students were still rowdy. For instance, at halftime a cooler of sodas was brought in for students. Students, given the chance to have some free sodas, decided to open them and start throwing them, soaking the student section.

After that football game, the student section was moved yet again. This time, it was moved to the home team stand, yet it is now on the other side of those stands, being on the side farther away from the concession stand. This is where it stands to this day, however it makes it harder for the students to get concessions during the game. The band is also moved to the farthest end of the stands, though they are at the stands for the visitors.

Needless to say, students have not been incredibly happy with this change. The original student section was perfect in its placement. It was close to the plaza, where people could socialize. It was close to the entrance and the concessions, meaning it was easily accessible anywhere you were. Now, it is far away from all of those places that were previously mentioned. Before, if you wanted to visit someone who was in the band, you could just go from one end of the stands to the other. Now, you have to walk across the home stands, walk past the concession stand, walk to the visitors stands and cross those stands. The new student section has been placed in an inconvenient spot for pretty much everyone.

The football game where people were throwing sodas was also extremely unpopular. The student section was barren, many people skipped, and it felt empty. This could be because of the game not being important (many students only go to certain “important” games, such as Homecoming. It can cost a lot to go to a game- 8 dollars for a ticket and then a high cost for the overpriced concessions.), but it could also be because of how many restrictions were placed on the students at a game that they had to pay to go to.

The theme was “Splash”, though Mr. Jones made it clear that more revealing swimwear was not allowed. This is understandable because of the school’s dress code. Many students were planning to embrace the theme harder by dumping water on oncoming passers. Mr. Jones made it clear that doing that was not allowed. Also understandable, though his call to action for this is because of parental complaints, not for student safety.

Mr. Jones has been doing the right thing with these rules, but it’s more of a case of “pick your poison”. Either you allow these crazy acts and get complaints from parents, or you ban them causing a very restrictive environment and get complaints that way. On top of that, students are not allowed to sit in any other place than the student section and hanging out under the stands is also banned. Hanging out in various areas that are not the student section is frowned upon, causing a restrictive environment that costs 8 dollars to get into. (Something that plenty of people have complained about.)

The student section move has felt like the straw that broke the camel’s back. Lots of restrictions have been placed on the students in an environment that costs a lot of money to even access. These restrictions have been enforced due to an endless string of complaints that Mr. Jones has to struggle with constantly. However, with these restrictions comes another set of complaints. Both arguments are valid, and ultimately, I don’t believe that there is a right answer. However, in a school that has been trying to silence students from socializing with friends, (whether accidental or on purpose), football games should not be as heavily restricted as they currently are.