Prospect takes pride in being an inclusive place for everyone. One area they excel in is their spirited student section, where all Prospect students come together to make lifelong memories and support their school.
Junior Rani Patel recalls moments from those Friday Nights.
“You feel like a big community because everyone is cheering for the same thing; even if they don’t really understand it, you are still cheering for Prospect,” said Patel.
Prospect High School won the Student section showdown for the third time in 2022 for school spirit, community service, organization, positivity, and inclusion.
Patel thinks that Friday night lights (FNL) is part of the Prospect culture and is something that she will remember fondly.
“Just anyone from any grade, no matter what extracurriculars you do, most people enjoy the Friday night football games for the culture,” Patel said.
With the 2023 football season over, Patel will miss the unity and happiness that Football brought Prospect.
“I think it is kinda sad because it’s the senior’s last [high school] football games, and a lot of them go to all of them just for the fun of being together,” Patel said. “I wish there [was] another sport that united everyone like that.”
Another student who finds Football games valuable to her high school experience is Junior Ellie Rosean, who performs at the Prospect football games for color guard.
“It is really cool to be able to see the student section from the outside, and on big games like homecoming where we have a ton of kids there, it has a really awesome energy,” Rosean said.
Rosean enjoys having fun with her friends and performing every Friday night.
“It’s a way for us to perform without the stress of being judged, so we get to go out there and have fun and not have to worry about our every single move being perfect, and I think that unites us,” Rosean said.
Although Rosean will miss the experience of performing during FNL for the rest of the year, she is glad she doesn’t have to be out there in the freezing cold as the weather changes.
For seniors like Oula Pattie, watching your last Prospect football season flyby can be sad.
“It is like, wow, now I wish I had gotten more into it, even though I went to a fair amount of games. I wish I had gotten there earlier to get closer to the front,” Pattie said.
Pattie has also experienced Prospect coming together due to the Student section.
“When we are in the student section, the people you’re around aren’t necessarily the people you hang out with all the time, but you are all jumping up and down together, and it feels united,” Pattie said.
However, the fun doesn’t start at night. Pattie describes the feeling at school on Friday as a “buzz” as everyone walks around in their uniforms and blue, getting ready for the big game to follow that night.
“I can never pick a specific person [in the student section]; you don’t know these are the seniors, these are the freshmen, it is just like Prospect,” Rosean said.
