On the lively evening of the first home varsity football game, on the patio overlooking Marx field, hundreds of students gathered in their beach-themed attire during an annual event for middle schoolers — the junior high tailgate.
While the event typically occurs almost a month into school, planning and fundraising begin months in advance.
Each year, the event is put together by the year’s current eighth-grade student council and their advisor, Samantha Stephenson. Though the tailgate is only two hours long, preparation for the function is more meticulous than it seems.
“Every Thursday, we get together in Ms. Stephenson’s room and discuss ideas and activities we can have within the tailgate for students to be engaged and involved [the whole time],” Silas Dronen, ‘30, eighth-grade class president, said.
For student council members, preparations for the tailgate start when the school year begins. However, Stephenson starts thinking about the tailgate several months prior.
“In May, or earlier, I [talk] to the athletic director, and she gives me date options,” Stephenson said. “I usually want the one that’s already a couple weeks into the school year.”
When planning the tailgate, Dronen made sure to communicate frequently with his classmates to ensure that their voices are heard.
“The first thing I do [when planning events] is talk to the students and see what they want,” Dronen said. “Then I collect I formation, and eventually bring that all together [to influence our preparation], whether it’s [picking certain] decorations, games or other engaging things.”
What Dronen cares about the most is making his fellow students happy.
“The smiles I get from pitching my ideas and how excited the students are for the actual event bring me so much joy to see that I’m helping them all; it makes me really proud,” Dronen said.
While Dronen’s favorite thing is seeing the smiles on students’ faces, Stephenson’s is seeing the students interact.
“Seeing all the kids having fun and hanging out with each other [is] definitely my favorite part,” Stephenson said.
Though the event came with free food and facepaint, attendees had to pay $5 in order for the organizers to make profit.
“We sold over 500 tickets this year, which is the most we’ve ever sold,” Stephenson said.
While fundraising is an important step in organizing an event, STUCO focused mainly on getting the word out.
“We got the word to the students about how the tailgate was going to be bigger and better this year, and the students really liked to hear that news,” Dronen said.
Some students may hesitate to attend, but Stephenson believes it’s worth giving it a try.
“You can walk in, [and] there’s food, games, face paint and other fun stuff that’s all free,” Stephenson said.
Through participating in events like this, Stephenson wants the students to feel like they are part of a community at WHHS.
“I want them to feel like they like the school and that they’re proud to go here, and that they feel that kinship with the rest of the students,” Stephenson said.