School spirit is something that many schools say they have, but may only have a small amount of students show up to games. Elkhorn North, however, tends to have a whole Wolf-Pack show up to games to support the sports teams. The student section never fails to cheer loudly, that is, until administration starts to be strict.

During state volleyball, Elkhorn North was competing, which saw over 500 students call out to attend the game to support. Students cheered loudly while constantly doing chants to keep the team going. However, after that first state game, things had to change, not because of students, but because of administration. 

A tradition that was started last year by the school was to turn their back when the opposing players line up was being announced. The administration then came to say, a year later, that the student section was not allowed to do so. The school administration let the student section do that tradition the previous year at away games, home games, and at state basketball when the girls team made it. The student section should be allowed to do this because it is a new school, and a new tradition. It lasted a whole year so why now? Why is it such a big deal now? 

The students at Elkhorn North complained about the new rule and asked why administration enforced it, and they said that the district was complaining. Later in the state tournament, Elkhorn South was playing on the court right next to us.They were able to turn their backs to the opposing team. The Wolf Pack was never given an answer as to why they couldn’t and South could.

In order to replace that tradition, the Wolf Pack attempted in the basketball home opener to hold up newspapers while the opposing team was being announced. Within seconds the administration took all those newspapers from students and told them they could never do that. 

In that same game, the students were doing a chant that once again had been done at every football, volleyball, and basketball game since last year. “Go-bananas” is one of the Wolf Pack’s favorites as it involves moving around and pushing people next to each other as they “go bananas”, or go crazy. 

In the basketball home opener against Bennington, they did this chant and then four students ended up being kicked out. The idea of the chant is to go crazy and push and shove to be fun in which students do have fun, however students got punished for pushing and shoving. 

A new tradition that the Wolf Pack had attempted to start was throwing baby powder after the football team scores the first touchdown in the game. In one home game, they had it in their hands ready, but then administration made them throw it on the ground before the touchdown because it would be a mess. This doesn’t make sense because they had to throw it on the ground anyways. The administration also said that it would ruin the stands of the football stadium. Yet, Elkhorn High was able to do so when they scored a touchdown against Elkhorn North.

The administration has taken the fun out of being a part of a high school student section. Many students have complained and attempted to ask them for permission to do certain chants, but they have turned down many ideas and even alternatives. The Wolf Pack wants to have fun at games and support their teams and have good school spirit, but the administration keeps them from doing so.