The WHHS student section, called the Nuthouse, is a vital part of sports games: from football to soccer, to basketball.

The Nuthouse leaders, which are composed of ten SENIORS, are responsible for maintaining the student section.

“We hold meetings where we talk about t-shirt sales, themes for the games, and what we can do to include the younger kids in the student section and just make it the most welcoming and exciting student section that we can possibly have,” SENIOR Ben Heitkamp said.

The leaders then use this money to make each game experience more exciting for students. They recently bought yellow powder to throw up at the beginning of football games, a whiteboard to write cheers on and large megaphones to liven the crowd. 

SENIOR Auggie Hipskind, another Nuthouse leader, is thrilled to be a part of this group and has many goals as the year progresses. “I hope to bring more school spirit to Walnut. I hope to support as many of our sports as we can while also creating a fun and safe environment so that everyone can enjoy the games,” Hipskind said. 

The leaders have also put an emphasis on making sure all students feel included during the games.

“I really wanted to include the younger students into the upperclassmen because when I was younger, I always felt left out of the football games,” Heitkamp said.

In addition, the leaders bring extra themed items in case a student forgot to dress up. For example, for the Hawaiian theme, the Nuthouse leaders brought extra leis to give out to students.

“We want to make sure everyone is involved, and no one is left out,” SENIOR Nija Olagbemiro, another Nuthouse leader said.

The decision to make ten SENIORS Nuthouse leaders comes from the assistant athletic director, Mark Hermann, and a vote from the previous year’s Nuthouse leaders. Many of the Nuthouse leaders are very enthusiastic about taking on the role.

“I love the games, I love the student section, I love being surrounded by everyone and the energy is amazing,” Olagbemiro said.

One of the many joys of every game is seeing the student section come together to support all WHHS athletics. “I love seeing all the people at the games giving all their energy, meeting new people, and supporting our teams,” Hipskind said. 

Heitkamp also expressed his eagerness to take part in the WHHS student section.

“I consider myself to have a big personality. I am very loud and passionate, and sometimes maybe a bit too much, but I saw that it can be good,” Heitkamp said.

Overall, the Nuthouse leaders highly recommend students go out to the WHHS games.

“We are in a little bit of competition with the other ECC student sections, so we want to be the best one. There are several factors that go into having the best student section, but the number one factor has to be having more people because the more people you can get into games, the more exciting students actually will be,” Heitkamp said.