In the game against Monta Vista last Friday night, the bleachers at Benny Pierce Field were filled with dozens of students decked out in athletic attire, sports jerseys, checkered tops and vintage racecar bomber jackets. Streamers and “Cars”-themed posters wrapped the fences, coloring the stands red and black as students erupted in chants, firing up the atmosphere for the varsity football team’s matchup against the Matadors.
Every home varsity football game this season includes its own unique theme, coordinated by the spirit commission and activities director Mark Higashioka — an SHS tradition dating back years. The night of the Sept. 12 football game against Overfelt featured light-up sunglasses, traffic cones and bracelets for a construction-based theme.
The themes for each game are designed to boost energy and engagement throughout the school while keeping participation accessible.
The spirit commission usually selects themes a few weeks in advance of games. During leadership class, senior spirit commission head Kusum Das brainstorms ideas based on previous theme turnout and seasonal context. She also opens up discussion to students to potentially tweak, approve and eventually push out themes for each football game.
“If students like a theme, we’ll repeat it,” Higashioka said. “For example, senior sunrise was Hawaiian shirts on the first day of school. It had a great turnout, so we tried a tropical theme again for spirit week, and it was one of our better days.”
Once a theme is set, the spirit commission decorates the stadium’s home bleachers after school with posters, streamers and props.
After every football game, the group cleans up. They later reflect during their next class on what worked and what didn’t. Higashioka leads a debrief with the team, asking questions about whether students were clear on what to wear, whether the promotion was effective and what should be changed for the next event.
The extent of student participation varies across the bleachers. Some go all in and wear construction vests and full Lightning McQueen costumes for their respective themes, while others prefer to stay in their regular clothes.
During the Sept. 12 game, approximately 200 students attended, with around 40% fully dressed in theme and 15-20% partially in theme, according to Higashioka.
Football players say they easily notice when there’s a theme just by looking at the stands. Combined with unified chanting, the crowd hypes players up for plays.
Junior quarterback Anson Hulme, who is also a member of the spirit commission, says he’s usually zoned out from what he mostly hears from the bleachers, but on the sideline, the noise and visuals make the game really fun.
“As a fan, themes make it more exciting. On the field, it’s fun to see, but it doesn’t affect you that much during plays,” Hulme said.
The spirit commission — consisting of senior Josh Chan, Das, Hulme, senior Brennan Pak, senior Jayden Kwong and junior Chloe Nguyen — aims to create a fun, high-energy student section with visible engagement. Even if students are not die-hard football fans, simple dress cues and chants make it easy to join in.
Whether participation is high or low, spirit days remain a visible part of SHS football culture. With two more themed games still scheduled this season on Oct. 17 against Cupertino (PINK OUT for breast cancer awareness) and Nov 7. Against MacDonald (undecided for now), the spirit commission and players hope to build momentum to encourage more Falcons to join the trend.
“Come out and join — it’s fun, everyone’s there and it supports your school and your team,” Hulme said.
