This Friday, Sept. 5, the Green Hope High School Booster Club will be hosting a sponsored pre-game tailgate party from 4 to 6:30pm to celebrate the first home game of the season. The tailgate will have food, games and inflatables for the community to enjoy. Afterwards, the game against Athens Drive Magnet High School will take place, beginning at 7pm.
The Green Hope Booster Club is an organization put in place to support the school’s athletes and increase community participation. Booster Club President Melani Hock and Vice President Clarissa Hennegan shared how they hope to achieve community involvement between families and students through sponsored events such as the tailgate. Hock said one of the main goals of the Booster Club is to, “Increase parent involvement to better support our student athletes.” She strives to foster school spirit, comradery and personal growth while also giving students a safe way to have fun.
When speaking to Vice President Clarissa Hennegan, she explained that the Booster Club is, “Partnering with the community and school sponsors, giving the opportunity for our youth to enjoy a safe event.” To Hennegan, a fun event is, “An event where we’re partnering with the students, sponsors, and community, but one where people are engaged and allowed to be who they are while doing so in a safe way.” To ensure safety, the tailgate will follow the same policies and guidelines as all athletic events.
Hock and Hennegan hope to appeal to the students, families and community through the tailgate and encourage them to show up to celebrate the first home game of the football season. Food, music, and inflatables will all be available to welcome the community. Hennegan believes that, “If we just have a bunch of kids, and the whole school shows up, we’ve won.” Students are encouraged to bring friends, loved ones and community members to the game as everyone comes together to celebrate the start of a new school year.
The Booster Club prioritizes peer support and hopes to use this event as an opportunity to cheer on the Green Hope varsity football team, while also bringing together the students who are coming out to support. “It increases social opportunities for people who don’t have someone to attend the football game with,” explained President Hock. Between the games and the inflatables at the tailgate, there will be plenty of opportunities for students to make new friends or grow closer to old ones.
The upcoming tailgate on Sept. 5 from 4 to 6:30pm will kick off the first home football game of the season with fun activities, food trucks and more that students community members are encouraged to partake in.
