This article originally appeared in our student newspaper, The Willistonian.

Adding a theme to a game can make the support feel stronger not only for the team playing, but for the community as a whole.

The student section at Williston, also known as “The Jungle,” is the collection of voices heard at most sporting events. Teams want the student section to show as much school spirit as possible, and that’s where themed games come in. As a way to show even more school spirit and bring the community together, teams on campus like to add themes so that everyone in the student section can feel a little more connected to the game, and their fellow Wildcats, both on the field and in the stands.

Organizations like Active Minds or the Elise Ollmann-Kahle Memorial Fund sponsor games and add a theme to attract students.

On Jan. 10, Active Minds sponsored a boys varsity basketball game against Deerfield. The girls hockey teams are putting on their annual Pink in the Rink games this weekend (Jan. 24) against Kent.

Mia Daley, a junior and member of the varsity girls hockey team, believes we should have more themed games.

“I think when we play our big rival schools, especially on Friday nights, it would be cool to have more themed games,” Mia said. “It’s more fun to go to when there is a theme and more people tend to go.”

Kora Brissett, a junior, thinks the tradition is the same across schools nationwide.

“I think more people would be inclined to go to games if there was a theme because in high school it shows more school spirit,” Kora said.

Mia told The Willistonian about how themed games affect players and students.

“The players get excited to play in front of a crowd and the students get hype and support their friends,” Mia said.

Chris Dietrich, Dean of Enrollment Management, is new to the concept of themed games, and loves them.

“Themed games haven’t been something that we’ve done at Williston for all that long,” he said. “I feel like they can be really great if everyone participates and buys in.”

Mia and Dietrich believe Pink in the Rink, the annual fundraiser for breast cancer during which players wear special pink uniforms and fans flood the stands in all pink clothing, is their favorite themed game.

“It’s such a fun game to play and the support from the whole community is amazing,” Mia, who has already played in two Pink in the Rink games, said. “It allows us to play for something for bigger than ourselves and realize how lucky we are.”

Dietrich agrees with Mia. “I think it’s really cool that they’ve organized it in such a way that they have a raffle and all those other great things,” he said.

Last year’s game, on Feb. 1 against Hotchkiss, raised more than $10,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.