Like all good things, the carefree days of summer must eventually come to an end. But not to fear! Autumn is upon us and students have been basking in the familiar sensation of “back to school.” You can almost smell it in the air. When the weather gets colder, days become shorter, and consequently, your life suddenly becomes more stressful. Thankfully, our student body has fabricated certain methods to bring these stress levels down tremendously. With football season in full swing, it’s been more difficult to worry about upcoming due dates, exams, and those rigorous homework assignments that take all night. Regardless, the feeling we get when slipping through the crowd under the Friday night lights is so memorable, that we don’t have room to think about any other back-to-school struggles. 

Now, to play devil’s advocate; has anyone noticed our football and homecoming themes have progressively been getting more and more unoriginal, dull, and generic by the year? “Pink Out, Red Out, Black Out, White Out”… seriously, are we reciting the rainbow? It’s becoming harder to get hyped up for football games when the themes have, one: already been done before on multiple occasions, and two: other schools seem to be showing more enthusiasm for their themes at our own games. 

Even with so many references from pop culture, recent sought-after movies, and an increase in innovative theme ideas thriving on social media, how have we not caught onto the trends of creativity? Opposing schools certainly have a great deal of elaborate themes, so why shouldn’t we? Sure, we don’t necessarily need an entire roster of different game themes to show our school spirit; however, it’s more enjoyable when our student body is riled up for a brand-new theme that has never been done before. 

Not everyone may be up for a change in tradition. This leads to a more considerate question: Would Hunterdon Central really benefit from more creative themes? Is “boring” really that bad?

Aden Masterton, a junior, stated that she would enjoy more elaborate and interactive themes involving, “Colored powder during a white out, and switching it up instead of having the same thing year to year.” She stated, “I think more themes inspired by popular movies would be really cool because people can actually make outfits or costumes instead of just wearing a plain t-shirt.”

Isabella Duran, a junior, suggested that she would “love to see more holiday-related themes during our games.” Leaning towards the more festive side, she feels that “students can have a lot of fun with themes that represent something they are really excited about.” Football season being in the same months with a number of major holidays gives students a chance to express their enthusiasm for their favorite time of year. 

Hunterdon Central Arts and Design teacher Kathleen Piro suggests that our students should incorporate more innovative football themes because, “It’s not only a great way to show school spirit and unity, but I think when you have those creative ideas, you might get people going to the games, that otherwise, would not be really interested.” She sheds light on the fact that students can be “part of something larger, and part of something fun, and that will be really exciting for them even if, maybe, they are not the biggest football fans.”

Sure, it’s easier to participate in a theme that requires you to dress up in one or two colors. Having said that, using the same tired themes doesn’t make us stand out any more than another school that also exhausts recycled football night ideas. There’s a lot of stigma around being unique and standing out, rather than embracing creativity as something that makes us extraordinary. 

Hunterdon Central has so many students, teachers, and staff that encourage this embrace of creativity. Instead of distancing ourselves from these attributes, we should put them to good use. The excitement of going back to school shouldn’t be stunted by a fear of individuality. Similarly, we shouldn’t back away from showing our spirit creatively this football season. The students of Hunterdon Central are extraordinarily remarkable as it is. Could you imagine if we incorporated that into our school spirit?

Some could say it’s best to stick with what you know. But, as Red Devils, we should strive to stand out.